


The World I Want to Know

by M34GS



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist, Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Genre: AU, Angst, Atlantis: The Lost Empire AU, But in a more modern time period, F/M, Journey to Atlantis AU, M/M, Mephisto and Amaimon are good brothers, Some are not, because would it be one of my fanfics if there wasn't angst, some of the gang are citizens of Atlantis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:15:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24434191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M34GS/pseuds/M34GS
Summary: Ryuji "Bon" Suguro is a scholar. And not just any scholar. He's the apprentice to one of the greatest scholars; a man they call "Lightning". Or, he was...until Lightning passed.Now, Ryuji is more determined than ever to find the Lost Island, Atlantis. The place his mentor had dreamed of one day seeing. He has to see it through, has to find it, for his mentor's soul to rest.Rin Okumura is the second-youngest prince of Atlantis. He remembers The Fall. And he remembers when his people thrived. Now, they are dying, their race only an empty shell of what they once were. And he is desperate to find a solution.
Relationships: Kamiki Izumo/Shima Renzou, Okumura Rin/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji, past Moriyama Shiemi/Okumura Rin
Comments: 33
Kudos: 103





	1. A Journal and a Deal

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! It's been a little while since I last posted and I had this idea all sorted out, so I decided to pin it down and actually start writing it.
> 
> I do not own anything from Blue Exorcist or anything in relation to Atlantis. This is just a fanfic. 
> 
> I hope you like it! Enjoy :)

Ryuji stared at the letter in his hands. With a grumble, he reread it for the third time, hoping he may have misread it.

_Dear Mr. Suguro,_

_We have reviewed your request for funding for an expedition to the lost city of Atlantis. Unfortunately, we believe you lack the proper evidence to launch an expedition. Therefore, we have decided to deny your request._

_As this is your fifth time applying for funding, and our fifth time denying your request, it is suggested you pursue different research. You have exceptional talent and skills we believe would be very valuable in different areas of research._

_Sincerely,_

_Arthur A. Angel_

With a sigh, Ryuji crumpled the paper and shoved it in a pocket. He rubbed the back of his neck and muttered to himself as he walked. “…not enough evidence…ha. There’s plenty o’ evidence. I’m only missing the journal. If we can find the journal, it’ll lead us right there…Lightning was so close…” His frown deepened as he thought about his late mentor. He had to admit, despite the man’s carefree and lazy attitude, he missed him.

Ryuji was jarred from his thoughts by a voice calling his name…or rather, his nickname. “Bon! Bon! BON! Wait up,” the familiar voice called as Ryuji stormed through the hallways on his way out of work. Ryuji didn’t stop, but he didn’t flinch either as an arm was flung around his shoulders.

“Renzo,” he greeted with a sigh. His friend grinned and tilted his head to lean even more on Ryuji’s shoulder. Ryuji rolled his eyes and shoved him off.

“Ehhhhh, don’t be so cold,” Renzo whined as he continued to follow Ryuji and attempted to fix his pink-coloured hair.

Ryuji sighed. “What do you want?” he asked wearily. He ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck.

“…you look tired,” Renzo observed. Ryuji rolled his eyes again.

“Did you really just come to comment rudely on my appearance?” he muttered as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Ah, no! That’s not it.” Renzo shot him a quick smile. “Just wondering, how’s it going with the funding?” Ryuji increased his pace. Renzo followed suit. “Any response yet? You said you were sure you’d get it this time!” Ryuji stopped with a grimace. “Bon? Hey, are you ok?” He didn’t answer Renzo, just gripped the crumpled letter in his pocket, then shoved it in his face. With a confused frown, Renzo took the paper and skimmed it over. “…oh.”

“Yeah,” Ryuji mumbled. He continued forward, exiting the building. Renzo stumbled after him, still holding the letter.

“W-well…I mean…I guess that’s it, then…”

Ryuji sighed. “Yeah.”

“I…uh…well! Look on the bright side? Like…you can stop fixating on doing what Lightning wanted…and figure out your own life!” Renzo fixed him with a crooked smile as he finished speaking. Ryuji just stared at him. His smile fell as he realized his friend’s mood wasn’t improved. “Um…or…uh…” A gust of wind rushed past them and he shivered. Ryuji turned away with a sigh and started walking away, shoulders hunched. “Umm…I’ll…I’ll see you tomorrow!” Renzo called. Ryuji didn’t answer.

The wind was cold. It tugged at his jacket as he walked home from work. The dark clouds reflected his worsening mood. Nothing went right. Everything was falling apart. His head felt heavy and his chest was tight. _I should’ve been more convincing. I should’ve put in more time…more effort. I should’ve worked night and day until I convinced them. I should’ve…should’ve…should’ve…_

_Should’ve what?_ A voice, sounding suspiciously like Lightning’s, whispered in his mind. _What more could you have done? You showed them evidence. You deciphered what passages you could find in ruins and on ancient scrolls. You put the notes together. You did everything you could, without the journal._

Ryuji chewed his lip. The journal. That special journal. That _damned_ journal. “If I could just…agh,” he grumbled under his breath as he shoved open the door to his small, old apartment. He kicked off his shows, continuing to mutter to himself as he turned on the lights and made his way to the kitchen. Only to stop and stare, mouth open, at the scene before him.

A woman. Sitting. On his _kitchen counter!_ Ryuji blinked. She had long, red-orange hair that faded into blonde at the end and was wearing an oversized trench coat, probably to cover the fact that she wasn’t actually wearing a shirt, just a sports bra and very, very short shorts. And it was cold outside. She didn’t seem to notice him yet, focused entirely on the thing in her lap, which was… _his left over food from supper last night._

“Wh-What the _hell_ are you _doing_?!” Ryuji shouted as his voice came back to him. The woman looked up slowly, cheeks puffed out and full of food. She tilted her head as she stared at him and swallowed audibly.

“Eating,” she answered simply. Ryuji stared at her and she stared back. Her lips trembled and Ryuji felt panic rise in him. _Shit! Is she gonna cry? Crap! Maybe…maybe she’s homeless…she looks homeless…and broke in because she was hungry? Was she starving?! I can’t…I shouldn’t be mean to a homeless person! She’s probably scared…and this is probably her last resort! Dammit. I have more than enough food! I can spare some. I…I can even make her more meals to take with her._ He opened his mouth to apologize, say something comforting, even offer to make her more food, but he was interrupted as the woman burst into laughter. Ryuji’s mouth snapped shut and he blinked in surprise yet again.

“Wh-what…” he managed to stammer. The woman continued laughing, outrageously loud and boisterous.

“Oh…” the woman gasped as she tried to regain her breath from laughing. “You…you-your _face_! It was…it was just…like…ahahahaha!”

“I…I don’t under…stand.” Ryuji couldn’t help but continue to stare. The woman grinned, a lopsided, wolfish grin at him.

“You’re probably wondering who I am.” She completely ignored his statement. Ryuji swallowed and nodded. Her grin grew and the woman pointed to herself. “Th’ name’s Shura.” She put the empty bowl on the counter and slid off of it to stand. She was taller than him and Ryuji found himself tilting his head to meet her gaze. “I’m here on behalf of Fujimoto.”

“Fuji…who?”

“Fu-ji-mo-to. He sent me to bring you to him,” the woman drawled.

“I…I don’t understand. _Who_ is Fujimoto? What does he want with _me_? Why did he send a homeless girl to get me?” Ryuji fired off questions, feeling his impatience with the girl rise.

“Homeless? Who’s homeless?” the woman snapped.

“Huh? But then, why were you eating my food?!”

Shura smirked at him. “Cuz I was hungry,” she replied.

“What! You can’t just do that! You can’t eat someone else’s food just cuz you’re hungry!!!” Ryuji glared at her and clenched his fists. Shura’s smirk grew.

“Oh ya? Well, I just did.”

“You! You! You!”

“You’re sounding like a broken record, kid.”

“I’m not a kid!”

Shura yawned and then rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Quit acting up and let’s get going. You took so long to get here and we’re late.”

“What? No! I’m not going anywhere with you! And if we’re late, it’s your fault!”

Shura regarded him with a serious expression, the first one he’d seen her wear. “You’ll come.”

“That’s not for you to decide!” Ryuji protested adamantly.

“You’ll come. To find the lost island.”

For the second time since he got home, Ryuji found himself lost for words. He stared at Shura, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Shura returned his gaze, still serious, with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

“Interested?” she asked finally. Ryuji shut his mouth and nodded slowly. She nodded. “Good.” She turned and walked to the window. “C’mon. Let’s go,” she stated as she slid it open.

Finally, Ryuji found his voice. “W-wait! What are you doing?! That’s the window.”

Shura turned to him. “Yes, I know. That’s how I got in.” Ryuji shook his head.

“Why…nevermind. We don’t have to leave that way. Why don’t we just use the door?”

“…oh yeah,” Shura laughed. “Totally forgot about that!” She closed the window and then glided past him and down the hall to the door. “You comin’?” she called over her shoulder. Ryuji started and quickly patted himself down, making sure he had his wallet and keys.

“Uh…uh, yeah,” he answered and followed the woman out the door.

About half a block away, a black car was parked. Ryuji had no idea what kind it was, but it looked expensive. He got in the passenger side, while Shura slid in behind the wheel. And promptly started to drive. “H-hey! At least wait until I have my seatbelt on!” He struggled to clip the belt in place as the crazy woman – he decided she _had_ to be nuts – accelerated. Shura laughed.

***

Mr. Fujimoto, whoever he was, was apparently loaded with cash. Shura pulled up to a gate set in stone walls and rolled down her window to enter a code into a keypad. There was a buzz and the gate opened. She drove through and followed a winding, paved road, bordered by dense trees. After about five minutes, the trees opened up to a vast expanse of lawn, on which sat a massive three-story house. Ryuji could do nothing but stare.

Shura pulled into an area in front of the house and parked. She hopped out of the car and Ryuji stumbled to follow suit. He closed the door carefully, wincing as Shura slammed hers shut. Then he followed her up the wide, stone steps to the entrance of the house. It had double doors; large, wooden, double doors, with intricate designs done in metal on them. Ryuji swallowed. Those doors were probably as expensive as his apartment rent.

Shura didn’t even knock. She just shoved the doors open and strode in, shouting as she did, “Yo! Shiro! I brought ‘im!” Ryuji stepped in after her. He didn’t know his eyes could get any wider, but apparently they could. The entryway was large, open, with a floor that looked to be polished marble. The ceiling arched high above them, and a large, crystal, electric chandelier illuminated the area. Directly across from the door was a large staircase, with well-polished bannisters. But the most impressive were the paintings. Murals covered every inch of the walls, from the floor, all the way onto the ceiling. Could he even consider them ‘murals’? Wouldn’t it be just one? There was no apparent end to the paintings. Shura continued forward, calling out still, but Ryuji gazed at the images. At first, his eyes just skimmed over the walls, too overwhelmed to pick up on details, but then something in the painting caught his attention and drew him to focus.

It was a book. A brown book, on a pedestal. It was alone, in a room of white. It looked old and beat up in the mural, but Ryuji’s attention was drawn to the symbol on it’s front. He recognized that symbol; knew it from the many notes, drawings, and writings Lightning had him study. _If that’s…_ Abruptly, Ryuji spun around. The wall to the immediate left depicted a serene scene; an island in the middle of calm waters. Small figures could be seen on the island, and above it hung a massive, burning blue flame. The calm waters stretched further from the door, as did the sky, gradually becoming darker and more violent. The water morphed into blue flames. Blue flames surrounded a dark shadowy figure. In the background, stretching up and up and up the wall, dark shadows stretched, eyes burning in flames and mouths pulled open in wretched, silent screams. That was where the wall cut off, but Ryuji turned to the other wall, the one with the book on it. The painting from the ceiling continued down onto this wall and showed the flames dissipating. The island was gone and so was the blue fire above it. The waters were calm. But there were people. There were people gazing at where the island used to be, and they were weeping. And the people faded into shadows in the background until he was back to the book once more. “It…It’s the Fall,” he whispered to himself. “The Fall of Atlantis.”

“Nicely observed,” came a calm voice. Ryuji spun around again. A man stood on the staircase, next to Shura. He had grey hair, glasses, and a friendly smile. “But that’s to be expected of Lightning’s apprentice.” Ryuji swallowed.

“How do you know me?” he asked. The man chuckled.

“I knew your father.” Ryuji stiffened at the mention of his father. “And your mentor.” He relaxed slightly. “I’ve been following you and your work…keeping tabs.” The man strode down the stairs as Shura left the room, grumbling about food. “My name is Shiro Fujimoto.” Mr. Fujimoto held out his hand. Ryuji took it wordlessly and shook it, still trying to process what exactly was going on. After he let his hand drop, Mr. Fujimoto turned and gestured to the stairs. “Come with me. We can talk in my study.” Ryuji followed him.

The study was large and grand, but in a different way from the foyer. It was lined from floor to ceiling with dark, wooden bookshelves, packed full of books, displaying titles in various languages Ryuji knew and even some he didn’t. The carpet was soft and thick and red. A broad window displayed the night sky behind a large desk. There was a chair behind the desk and one in front of it. Mr. Fujimoto took the seat behind the desk and gestured to the other for Ryuji. Ryuji sat. And waited. Mr. Fujimoto sighed before speaking.

“Well, I suppose you’re wondering why I called you here?” He suggested as he folded his hands on the desk.

“Uh, the…woman…said something about finding the Lost Island?” Ryuji tensed his legs as he spoke to keep them from shaking. But he couldn’t help that. He was excited.

Mr. Fujimoto smiled and nodded. “Indeed. I heard you have petitioned for funding for an expedition several times.” Ryuji nodded reluctantly, his cheeks tinged pink.

“Um…yeah…”

“And you’ve been unsuccessful.”

Ryuji’s blush darkened and he looked down at his knees. “Yes.”

“Well. You cannot run an expedition without funds.”

Ryuji glared at his knees and clenched the fabric of his pants in his fists. “Yes. I am aware.”

“What would you say…if I funded your expedition?”

Ryuji opened his mouth to retort, because did this guy seriously just bring him here to mock him, when the actual words registered in his brain. He swung his gaze up. “Wait…what??”

“I would like to fund your expedition. Privately. On the condition that I am the one to choose your crew members,” Mr. Fujimoto clarified.

Ryuji stared at him. “Wha-wh…are you _serious_?!”

Mr. Fujimoto’s smile vanished. “Completely.” He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a file. He slapped it down on the desk in front of Ryuji. “Take a look. All of them are top of their class. All of them are on stand-by. I just need a research team.”

Ryuji hesitantly picked up the file and flipped through it. Captain. First mate. Mechanics. Physician. Nurses. Cooks. Everything was accounted for. Except a research team. He looked up at Mr. Fujimoto.

“Ryuji Suguro, will you head the research team? You can hand-pick the other members…I have no doubt you would even have a few in mind. We have a crew. We have a ship. We just need…you.”

“But…how would we get there? No one knows the way! The only possible clues would be in-”

“In the Journal. The Atlantean Journal,” Mr. Fujimoto smiled as he spoke and reached into the desk to produce a brown book. He placed it gently in front of Ryuji, who picked it up, eyes wide. He flipped through it, skimming the pages. It was real. It was the real journal!

Ryuji swallowed dryly. His hands shook and he set the book down on the desk. “…yes,” he whispered. Mr. Fujimoto tilted his head.

“Pardon?”

“Y-yes! I will. Absolutely. And…and, for the research team, I do have someone in mind…” he thought of his friend, Konekomaru, who had long shared in his passion to find Atlantis. Another face flashed into his mind, a sly grin with a mop of pink hair. “…two someones, actually.”

Mr. Fujimoto grinned. “Excellent! Then, let me give you all the details…”

It was three long hours later when Shura drove him home. Ryuji entered his apartment, but rather than collapse from exhaustion, he felt a buzzing in his limbs. His head was light and he felt like he was walking on air. It was happening. It was really happening. Mr. Fujimoto had said he would send notice to both Renzo and Konekomaru, and Ryuji was looking forward to seeing their surprised and confused faces. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he packed his bag.


	2. Dreams and Missing Pages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin has a dream that wakes him and leaves him feeling anxious.
> 
> Ryuji notices something odd about the journal he's been reading.

_The darkness didn’t scare him. It was warm. It was comfortable. It was familiar. What scared him was the voice. “Danger! Danger!” The voice rang out through the darkness, and he turned, trying to find it, trying to see anything other than the pitch black that surrounded him. Not even his crystal around his neck was glowing._

_“Where?” he cried out. “Where?!” His hands absently reached to his neck, reassuring him that his crystal was indeed still there on its chain._

_There was no answer to his question, only the repetition of “Danger! Danger!” It was so dark, he could not see his hand in front of his face. He tried to move, but it was difficult to tell if he succeeded. Nothing changed._

_“Please! I want to help. Tell me where the danger is!” He called out. His voice didn’t echo like he thought it might. Instead, it was swallowed up by the darkness. It was then that it appeared; a pinprick of light in front of him. He reached out toward it, but it was far away. He stumbled forward, trying to get closer. This time, as he moved, the light grew bigger._

_Finally, he was close enough that he knew he could reach out and touch it. The light hung in the air, a soft blue flame. The glow from it was enough to allow him to see himself, but not much else. Hesitantly, he reached out to touch the flame, but he stopped when his hand was hovering just above it. The hairs on the back of his neck rose and his heart hammered in his chest. Instinctively he knew, if he touched the flame, there would be no turning back. He drew back slightly._

_“Danger! Danger! DangerdangerdangerdangerdangerDANGER!” The voice came from everywhere at once and he could not help but cower._

_“Who are you? What do you want?” he asked. And just as suddenly as it had started, the voice fell silent. He waited…waited…waited. Nothing. The flame in front of him continued to glow gently, and he wondered how it could look so comforting and yet so terrifying at once. He had almost convinced himself to touch the fire again when a scream rang out through the darkness. Startled, he jumped back and looked around wildly._

_As if in response to the scream, the flame in front of him shone brighter and brighter. The blue light was soon so bright that it was all he could see. The scream had changed, no longer one voice, but hundreds, full of terror, sorrow, despair. Terrified, he threw his arms in front of his face._

_“Please! I don’t know what you are or what you want! I don’t know what to do!” he cried out, arms shaking. The screams faded, and the glow dimmed, until it was back to the small flame it was before. And the voice from before spoke._

_“Rin. Rin Okumura. You are the only hope,” it whispered gently. As it whispered, the flame pulsed in time with the words. Then it snuffed out and he was left in darkness again. It was then that he realized he knew that voice._

Rin woke with a cry. He shot upward in his bed and gasped for air. He was sweating and his heart raced. “W-what…” he mumbled to himself once he had enough air.

“Rin…?” came a groggy voice. “What are you doing awake?” Rin looked through the darkness to his brother, Yukio, on the bed across from his. The dim light of the crystals they wore around their necks were the only things lighting up the room.

“Ah, Yukio…did I wake you? I’m sorry,” Rin apologized softly. He let out a nervous laugh. “It was just a dream…a bad dream.” Yukio sat up, more alert now.

“What happened?” he asked curiously. Rin ran a hand through his dark hair and sighed. His twin would pester him until he told him.

“It wasn’t a big deal, really. There was darkness. And screams. Lots of screams. And the blue fire. You remember, like from that time…” Rin trailed off. He didn’t want to bring that up, but his mouth spoke before his brain caught up.

Yukio tensed. “You mean when the city Fell.” Rin nodded and rubbed at his eyes.

“Yeah.”

There was silence for a long moment, and Rin regretted saying anything. He was about to just tell Yukio to forget it, that it wasn’t important, that he would be back to sleep in no time, but his brother spoke. “Would you like me to get Shiemi? She would have something to keep the dreams away.”

“Ah, no. I don’t want to bother her this late,” Rin mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Besides. I think I can sleep now. I can ask her for some of that stuff in the morning.”

“…if you’re sure…” Yukio sounded doubtful. For some reason, that irritated Rin.

“I can! I’ll go right to sleep.” He paused, hoping Yukio wouldn't call him on his lie. He wouldn't be able to sleep again tonight, not after that. “Maybe I’ll get a snack or something first.”

Yukio snorted. “You really must be fine if you’re thinking of eating. I’m going back to sleep, then.” He laid back down and rolled over. Rin nodded, even though Yukio couldn’t see him, and crawled out of his bed. He made his way to the room’s entrance, which was covered by a curtain. He slid through it and into the silent hallway. With another sigh, he padded down the hallway bare-foot to the kitchen.

There were bowls of fruit and vegetables on the counters, the room lit by a dim glow of crystals placed in the corners. Rin made his way to the counter and started looking for something that would be fast and easy to eat. He wasn’t expecting a dark shape to rise up from the ground.

“AGHHH!” he shouted and jumped back. The figure didn’t jump in surprise or even seem to react at all.

“Ugh. So noisy,” a bored voice drawled. Rin blinked and, as his eyes grew more adjusted, he could see it was one of his older brothers.

“You scared me, Amaimon!” he accused. His brother shrugged and reached into one of the bowls on the counter. He grabbed a fruit and bit into it, the juice running down his chin. His green eyes were barely visible, and his hair was a bit messy, as if he’d been asleep until recently. Which would make sense. Rin himself had just been sleeping, so he supposed he couldn’t fault his brother on his appearance. “What are you doing here?”

Amaimon stopped chewing and swallowed, never taking his eyes off Rin. “I’m fishing,” he replied with a deadpan expression. Rin groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Shut up, don’t give me that.” He reached for a fruit for himself and started eating it.

Amaimon shrugged. “I thought you enjoyed humour.” He bit the fruit again, and Rin had to admit it was a little annoying how he slurped at it and chewed noisily. “I got hungry,” Amaimon admitted around a mouthful of food. Rin wrinkled his nose.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full like that, it’s disgusting,” he protested. Amaimon shrugged again. He leaned closer to Rin.

“What are _you_ doing up, little brother?” he asked, poking Rin’s cheek with the hand that wasn’t holding fruit. Rin scowled and batted his hand away.

“Couldn’t get back to sleep,” he muttered and took another bite. His older brother hummed.

“What woke you?”

“None of your business.” Rin had finished his snack and threw the pit away. He eyed the rest of the fruit, stomach complaining that now he had started eating, it wasn’t satisfied.

“Ehhh? Why won’t you tell me? I’m your big brother, you should,” Amaimon complained. He didn’t even hesitate after finishing the fruit he held before grabbing another and biting into it just as messily. Rin rolled his eyes as he helped himself to more food. “I bet you told Yukio.”

Rin closed his eyes and sighed. “So what if I did?” he retorted.

“That’s not fair. I’m the big brother, you should tell _me_.” Rin couldn’t see his expression, but he knew from his tone of voice that Amaimon was pouting.

“Yukio acts like a big brother more than you do,” Rin replied simply.

“Whaaat? So mean!” That was all the warning Rin had before he was tackled to the ground by his older brother.

“Oof! Hey! Get off me!” Rin squirmed and tried to throw Amaimon off, but with no luck.

“No way! You tell me what woke you first! I want to knoooooow!”

Rin growled. “I said GET OFF!” He twisted and struggled, but Amaimon had him pinned.

“And I said I want to know!”

“Want to know what?” a sly voice called from the kitchen entrance. Both Rin and Amaimon stopped struggling to look. A tall, slim figure stood in the entryway. While his facial features were hidden by shadow, his voice and his stance were unmistakeable.

“Mephisto! Get Amaimon off me!” Rin demanded.

“No! Help me find out what’s keeping Rin up!” Amaimon protested. “He’s telling Yukio things, but keeping secrets from us! And we’re the big brothers, so we should know things!”

“Oh?” Mephisto stepped closer and now Rin could see his face, with his smirk and his raised eyebrow. Rin cursed internally. Mephisto was intrigued. He had no chance of persuading him to help him now.

“It-it’s not a big deal, ok? It really isn’t,” Rin tried to avoid the conversation by playing it off as small. It didn’t work.

“It’s a big enough deal that it woke _you_! That’s almost impossible,” Amaimon pointed out.

“He has a point,” Mephisto agreed.

“Look, it was just a dream, ok? Just a bad, bad dream. I’m lame, for being scared of it, happy?” Rin snapped finally. His brothers shared a look.

“What was the dream about?” Mephisto asked. His tone was casual, but Rin knew he wasn’t getting out of answering now. He bit his lip and looked away from the two of them. Amaimon still held him pinned, so there was no way he was going to be able to run. And he knew his brothers. They could sit like this all night if they wanted to, they were that stubborn. It ran in the family.

“It was…dark. I mean, that wasn’t the bad part. But then there was this voice. It kept calling out ‘danger’. I wanted to help, but I couldn’t see anything. I had no idea where the danger was. Then I saw a blue light. So I followed it and when I got to it, it was…it was a blue flame.” Rin heard Amaimon’s sharp intake of breath and then the weight on top of him was gone. Rin sat up, both his older brothers now crouched next to him. “There were screams.” Now that he started talking about it, really talking about it, he found he couldn’t stop. “There were so many screams.” His hands trembled and he clenched his fists in an attempt to make it stop. “And I could hear crying and I…I was scared.”

“…Is that everything?” Mephisto spoke in a tone that told Rin he knew there was more. Rin shook his head.

“The voice…it said something about me being the ‘only hope’ or whatever…I don’t know what that means. But I’m pretty sure the voice came from the fire.” He paused here and rubbed his forehead. He chewed his lip, wondering if he should say the last part. But the silence stretched on, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to fool his brothers. “The voice…it was mother’s.”

“You dreamed about the Fall.” Amaimon’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet. Rin nodded. For a while, none of them spoke. It was Mephisto who broke the silence.

“You aren’t the only one who dreams of such things,” he stated calmly. “We will never forget the Fall.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small vial, barely the size of Rin’s little finger. “Take this. Drink it when you get back to your bed. If you do it any sooner you’ll fall over in the hallway.” Rin nodded and reached out to take the vial. “Go and see Shiemi in the morning.” Again, Rin nodded. He climbed slowly to his feet, but stopped there, eyes on the floor.

“Um. Thanks. For listening,” he mumbled.

“I told you, idiot. That’s what big brothers are supposed to do,” Amaimon replied, but most of the bite had left his tone. Rin just nodded.

“You’re welcome,” Mephisto answered him. He put a hand between Rin’s shoulder blades and gave him a gentle nudge toward the corridor. “Now, go and sleep.” Rin didn’t argue or say anything else at all. He padded off to bed, little vial held tight in his hands.

Amaimon and Mephisto watched their younger brother leave the room. Then Amaimon turned to the oldest brother. “What are you thinking? I can tell you are thinking something, but I can never tell what it is.”

Mephisto hummed to himself before answering. “Rin’s dream.” He leaned back on the counter and picked up a piece of fruit.

“What about it? You said so yourself, many people dream about the Fall. It’s not unusual,” Amaimon countered and crossed his arms over his chest.

“That the dream was of the Fall is not unusual. That he was told by the flame there was danger and he was the only hope…” Mephisto trailed off as he bit into his fruit. He chewed it and swallowed before continuing. “I’ve heard one other person describe a dream like that, centuries ago.” Amaimon frowned.

“Who?”

“Mother.”

***

Ryuji was beginning to regret bringing Renzo on this trip. Don’t get him wrong, his friend was fairly people-smart, and he trusted him. But if he didn’t stop trying to flirt with the mechanic, Ryuji might just have the submarine surface solely so he could toss him out the top. The woman of Renzo’s affections, Izumo Kamiki, seemed to be just as annoyed as Ryuji. Part of him wondered if she might make good on some of her threats and actually beat the pink-haired man with a wrench. _It would serve him right_ , Ryuji decided, _we’re here to find Atlantis. Not flirt with aggressive angry women._

Next to him, Konekomaru sighed and shook his head at Renzo’s latest attempt at flirting. This was the third time that day, and the second day in a row. The man hadn’t stopped gushing about Izumo since they met her at the start of the expedition. They were both rather sick of it.

“Mr. Suguro,” a voice called, interrupting Ryuji’s musing, and he straightened as he saw the captain of the submarine approach.

“Captain Lucifer! You can call me Ryuji,” he greeted with a dip of his head. “Um. What can I do for you?” The captain, a man with pale blonde hair slicked back, smiled. But his smile didn’t seem to meet his eyes.

“Very well, Ryuji. I was wondering if you could check our coordinates again and compare to that journal of yours? We’ve been travelling for some time, and I was certain we would have seen something by now,” the captain requested. Ryuji nodded.

“Absolutely, sir.”

The captain laughed. “Just Captain Lucifer is fine. No need to call me ‘sir’.”

“Oh! Right! Thank you, Captain Lucifer,” Ryuji answered instantly. The captain nodded at him and turned around. Ryuji followed him to the control room.

Once there, he listened as their current position was described to him. With a hum, Ryuji turned to the journal, which he now kept on him at all times. He flipped through it and mumbled under his breath. “It seems we are in the right area…” he mumbled with a slight frown. “There’s a passage here about a ‘guardian’…It’s supposed to protect the entrance. According to this, it’s a massive sea creature. It looks to be built of stone. A lot of people speculate it’s a stone statue that once stood in front of the island…”

“But you don’t?” The captain was looking over his shoulder at the journal pages. Ryuji shook his head.

“There’s never been any story or legend that told of a single statue guarding the Island before it sank. It is supposedly surrounded by Stone Warriors, but not a creature. We’re looking for something alive, I think,” he replied. A snort from nearby had him shooting a glare at Shura. Somehow, the woman had tagged along on the trip, supposedly as a crew member. Ryuji had yet to see her do anything useful, though.

“Well, we’ve been underwater for days, and haven’t seen a single creature like the one in your book,” Shura pointed out. Ryuji pressed his lips together in a thin line.

“That doesn’t mean we won’t,” the captain stated. He clapped a hand on Ryuji’s shoulder. “As long as you have that little book there, I trust we’ll get where we need to go.” Ryuji blinked, then smiled at the older man. The captain nodded at him and released him. “You are dismissed, Ryuji.”

Ryuji made his way back to his quarters and sat on his bed. He opened the journal, pouring over it yet again. He just couldn’t seem to help himself. This was everything his mentor had worked so hard for, everything he’d longed to see, and it was here, in Ryuji’s hands. He also felt a strong responsibility to interpret the journal correctly. He was the guide of this expedition. He needed to be certain they were going to the right place. He couldn’t lead them astray.

Which led to the issue that had been bothering him since the day before, when he had read further ahead in the journal. He turned to that page, the one with the passage describing the Atlanteans and their society. The passage talked about how advanced they were, considering the time period. They supposedly had machines that ran on electricity, which Ryuji had thought impossible. But according to the journal, there was a mysterious power source, one that allowed their technology to progress much faster than that of other humans. The part that bothered him was the pages of the journal. There seemed to be one missing. Ryuji sighed and ran his hand through his brown hair in frustration.

“Something wrong, Bon?” Ryuji looked up to see Renzo and Konekomaru standing in the doorway to their shared quarters.

“It’s just…this book,” Ryuji admitted. Konekomaru tilted his head and moved to sit next to him. Renzo sat on his other side.

“What about it?” Konekomaru asked. He skimmed over the page, but he wasn’t as well-versed in Atlantean as Ryuji.

“I don’t know…it’s like it’s missing a page, or something, you know? Like, look here, it’s talking about this amazing energy source and how the people of Atlantis used it for stuff like electricity and supposedly even longevity, but then it skips right into a theory of Atlantean descendants being off-island during the Fall and surviving outside the island.” Ryuji pointed to the relevant text as he spoke. Konekomaru frowned as he read the passages, much more slowly than Ryuji did.

“You’re right,” he said finally. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Does that affect how we get there?” Renzo asked. Ryuji shook his head.

“I don’t think so,” he replied.

Renzo nodded. “Then, why don’t you see if we can find any clues when we get there? I mean, if they were such a great civilization and all, there should be tons of artifacts and maybe even some sort of log of everything…or at least some things…” Renzo got a far-off look as he spoke.

“…I know I’m excited for this trip, but I never expected _you_ to get this into it,” Ryuji commented.

Renzo rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m an anthropologist, ok? That’s literally my job. Why does everyone forget that?”

“Because it’s boring,” Konekomaru chimed in with a cheeky grin.

“Says the scholars! Like, what do you guys even _do_ besides study everything?” Renzo demanded. Konekomaru stuck his tongue out at him and Renzo repeated the action back to him.

“Are you kidding me? Are you guys, like, five?” Ryuji groaned. “Stop bickering. It’s getting close to supper, we should go get some food.” He closed the book and tucked it under his arm as he stood. He got a chorus of ‘yes mom’ from his friends and glared at them as they followed him out the door laughing.

None of them were prepared for the sudden jolt to the submarine that caused them all to stumble in the hallway.

“What the hell?” Ryuji muttered with a frown. Neither of his friends had time to answer before another jolt flung them the opposite way. Konekomaru yelped and Renzo’s head slammed into the wall before his body slumped to the floor, unresponsive. “Fuck!” Ryuji scrambled to his unconscious friend and tried to rouse him, with no success. His pulse was present, and Ryuji counted that as a good sign.

But what in the hell was going on?!


	3. Behemoth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The submarine has been attacked. Ryuji and his companions struggle to escape and find their way to the path leading to Atlantis.

Ryuji grunted under Renzo’s weight as he heaved him down the hallway, the journal tucked under his other arm. Konekomaru stumbled along behind him. “Where are we g-going, Bon?” he called. Ryuji had to pause as another jolt to the submarine made him fall into a wall.

“…to the control room…” he managed to grit out as he adjusted his grip on his unconscious friend. “I don’t know…where else…to go.” They continued along as fast as they could dragging an unconscious man.

The control room was chaos. Ryuji couldn’t tell who was talking to who, and there were people running back and forth, hair flying behind them, books and papers overturned, coffee spilled on the floor and no one with enough time to clean it. Ryuji did his best to move out of the way while holding Renzo. Konekomaru followed him silently, eyes as large as dinner plates. Captain Lucifer stood in the middle of the chaos, giving out orders without so much as a flinch; the calm eye inside a hurricane of anxiety and fear. Shura stood next to him, her face grim. Ryuji swallowed. He couldn’t imagine trying to command in this situation. Nothing abnormal was visible through the thick glass of the windows. Ryuji took a glance at some of the many screens and computers around the room, but he couldn’t understand a thing on them.

After a moment, Ryuji realised the submarine had been still. _Is it over? What the hell was that?_ He wondered. Silence fell over the room. More than one person seemed to slump in relief as the peace stretched on. Captain Lucifer narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“Do not relax,” he stated calmly. A few sent confused glances his way. “Whatever’s out there, it’s not finished with us yet.” Not even ten seconds later, a shuddering impact ran through the submarine and it lurched to the side. Ryuji cursed and tightened his hold on his friend as they all stumbled.

Shouting broke out, cursing and screaming, all coming from the direction of the engine room. Ryuji stared in the direction of the shouting. And he as he stared, he heard one of the control room workers say the most terrifying thing he’d ever heard.

“Sir! There’s damage to the engine room! Cameras show it flooding at an alarming rate!”

Ryuji’s heart leapt into his throat. Konekomaru gripped his arm. Another jolt to the submarine caused them all to stumble forward. At that moment, a woman rushed in. Her shoes squeaked wetly on the floor and the bottom of her pant-legs were soaked. Ryuji’s mind distantly recognized her as the mechanic Renzo continued to hit on.

“The engines are being flooded completely! I sealed the door to buy us time, but we need to get off this ship,” she gasped out. Her hair, normally pulled neatly out of her face, was in a total disarray, and her red eyes were wild. There was a pause.

“Everyone to the escape pods. Now,” the captain commanded. Chaos erupted once more. Ryuji struggled to follow along through the sea of people pushing and shoving, while still balancing Renzo’s weight.

“What…the hell happened to _him_?” a voice asked, still sounding slightly winded. Ryuji turned to see the mechanic woman, Izumo, behind him and Konekomaru. She was looking at Renzo.

“He got thrown into a wall, hit his head,” Ryuji replied through gritted teeth as he tried to keep moving. The submarine was still being attacked by whatever it was that was hitting them. Izumo shook her head.

“It’s chaos. It’s too much,” she muttered. Ryuji didn’t reply, though he had to agree with her. Izumo stuck close to them, whether by choice or because there wasn’t any room to get further ahead of them Ryuji couldn’t tell. But he didn’t mind that anytime someone jostled too close to Renzo, the strong young woman would make sure to stop them from hitting his friend’s head by accident.

Finally, they made it to the escape pods. Ryuji dragged Renzo over to one, only to find they were only large enough for two people. He bit his lip and looked at Konekomaru. “You should…” he began, but Izumo nodded at Konekomaru.

“Looks like you’re with me,” she announced. Then she turned and strode over to another escape pod. Konekomaru gave Ryuji a weak smile, which looked more like a fearful wince, and followed her to the pod. Ryuji sighed. He focused on getting Renzo into the pod and slid in after him. As they waited their turn to be launched, he tried to familiarize himself with the controls. There were cameras on the outside of the pod, which transmitted images to the screens inside for navigating, and a radio, and tons of buttons and switches. He knew what some of them did only because he did his best to prepare for every scenario and therefore had asked for a manual to one on his first day. He even knew how to fire the torpedoes attached to the pods if needed. But there was no way he was prepared for this. He didn’t even know what _‘this’_ was.

It felt like forever before it was their turn to launch, though Ryuji knew realistically it was only a few minutes at most. He swallowed, anxiety making his stomach turn and his saliva taste metallic. His heart felt as though it was in his throat and his palms were clammy with sweat. Renzo still had not woken up.

As soon as they were in the water, Ryuji tried to figure out where the other pods were. The lights mounted on his pod allowed the cameras to see a little ways into the water, but not overly far. He gripped the controls with shaking hands. A crackling noise made him jump, but he relaxed as he realized it was the radio. He grabbed the radio and pressed the button to talk.

“Hello? Is anyone there? It’s Ryuji,” he called. There was no response for a moment.

“Izumo here. What are we up against?” Izumo’s voice was still distinctly hers, even through all the crackling of the radio.

“Shura and Captain Lucifer,” Shura’s voice replied. “I have no idea. Whatever seemed to have been attacking us, I can’t see any sign of it now.”

“Todo Saburota,” came another voice, a man’s, one that Ryuji wasn’t familiar with. “I also can’t see anything out of the ordinary.”

Ryuji chewed his lip. The thing, whatever it was, that attacked them had seemed pretty determined to damage the sub. _Would it really let us go that easily?_ He wondered. The others seemed to be thinking along the same lines, because Shura’s voice came over the radio again.

“I don’t think we can consider ourselves in the clear yet,” she stated. “We have no idea what that thing was or what it’s after.” Ryuji nodded. “Let’s keep each other informed, what we see, anything you notice that’s odd. In the meantime, we need to figure out where to go. Ryuji, can you navigate for us?” Ryuji nodded before he remembered none of them could see him. He scrambled for the radio.

“Uh, Ryuji here. I can navigate to our destination. There should be an opening, and that’ll lead us through a tunnel into a pocket of air,” he replied.

“Excellent. Lead away,” came the captain’s voice.

“Ok…” Ryuji looked at the various pods he could see through his screens. There was no way to tell who was who. “Um, I’ll flick my lights so you know which one I am. Then follow me.”

“Will do.”

“Affirmative.”

“Just hurry up.”

Ryuji nodded to himself and flicked his lights as he listened to their various replies. Once he was sure they’d all seen, he focused on the path the journal described. They’d been close, he knew it, he just needed to find the guardian. Next to him, he heard a groan. Ryuji turned as Renzo opened his eyes, blinked once, then twice, then sat bolt upright.

“What…Where…where are we, what’s going on?!” his friend demanded. Ryuji sighed.

“Glad you’re awake finally. Something attacked the ship. You got knocked out. We’re in escape pods now,” he answered quickly. He scanned the screens. “I’m trying to direct us to where we need to be, but I still can’t find the guardian.” He frowned as he tried to find any sign of what he was searching for.

“You mean, something like this drawing here?” Renzo was dutifully flipping through the journal, searching for something to help.

“Yeah,” Ryuji replied with a quick glance to the page. He nodded. “That’s the one.”

“…Be-he-moth…” Renzo murmured, sounding out the name that was scrawled under the drawing. Then he looked up, trying to help Ryuji find the guardian. After a moment, he gave a surprised noise. “Is that it?” Renzo pointed to a large, round creature that appeared to be made of stone.

Ryuji squinted at the screen. He zoomed the camera in as much as he could. “…that _does_ look like it,” he mumbled. At that moment, the radio crackled to life.

“How are we doing on that navigation, Ryuji?” Shura’s voice asked. Ryuji hit the button to reply.

“We found a statue that really resembles the ‘guardian’ in the journal…I think that might be where we need to go,” he answered.

“I thought you said it wasn’t a statue?” was the answer.

“I thought it might not be. I could be wrong. There’s a lot we don’t know fully about this,” Ryuji responded as patiently as he could. “I’m going to approach it. Once we get there, there should be an entrance into a tunnel. The tunnel itself will curve upward, and that should allow us to reach the area that isn’t covered in water.”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Shura replied. He got an affirmative answer from several other pods. Ryuji had the controls, while Renzo continued to glance between the journal and the statue they approached.

“…this thing is weird, Bon. I don’t know about this,” Renzo stated finally. Ryuji glanced at his friend’s face. Renzo’s brow was furrowed and he was tapping his fingers nervously on the journal pages.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, these drawings…they all depict a moving creature, one that is actively fighting invaders, right?” Renzo asked. Ryuji nodded. “And _something_ had to attack the submarine, right? So…I don’t know, maybe the statue isn’t the only thing…here? Does that make sense?”

Ryuji sighed and nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. But there is no reason the guardian couldn’t be the statue, and whatever attacked us was…something else.”

Renzo shivered. “Ok, you know what, I hate that idea more.”

Ryuji rolled his eyes with a half laugh. “Yeah…” he was about to continue, when something caught his eye. It was small, barely a movement, and he would have thought the camera glitched…if it didn’t happen again in the exact same spot. A small fin to the base of the statue flicked. Ryuji cried out and jerked the pod away from the ‘statue’. His lights shone upward and the creature’s eyelids, which had been closed, shot open. Ryuji jerked the controls again, and Renzo jumped in his seat, his hand landing on the radio button at the same moment Ryuji shouted “Fucking shit!”

“What’s going on?!” Shura was the first to respond.

“What do you mean? Fucking look at that thing!” Renzo shouted back. “It’s fucking ALIVE BON I TOLD YOU THIS WAS BAD!” But Ryuji didn’t respond to his last statement, because when he had moved the pod a second time, he’d seen something else.

“I see the entrance!” he shouted.

“Where?!” he heard Izumo ask.

“Follow me! And avoid whatever the hell that thing is!” Ryuji answered. And that was easier said than done. The guardian was up and coming at them with more speed than Ryuji expected. He cursed again and had to steer to avoid it. Next to him, Renzo was spouting off every prayer he knew. “Dammit Renzo, if you wanna be useful fire off the weapons!”

“I don’t know how!” Renzo fired back. With a scowl, Ryuji grabbed his friend’s hands and shoved them on the controls for steering.

“Then you steer and I’ll fire! Aim for that hole there,” he snapped. Renzo nodded and steered as best he could. Ryuji focused on aiming watching for the beast. It wasn’t long before it tried to cut them off again. He took aim and fired, the pod launching a torpedo at the creature. When the shot made impact, the beast howled, a chilling low sound that he could hear clearly through the walls of the pod. But the shot slowed it down and the pods slipped past the guardian and into the tunnel. “Ok, just follow the tunnel and we’ll be fine!” Renzo nodded, his fingers gripping the controls so tight his knuckles blanched. Ryuji just hoped the journal was right. He wouldn’t know what to do if they were stuck underwater in these pods for much longer.

***

“I’m not saying we have to go to the surface permanently! I’m saying we need to figure something out, other than just cowering down here in fear,” Rin burst out. “Our people are _dying_!” His father shook his head.

“We have survived this long, we will continue to survive,” he declared, his voice strong and unwavering. Rin glared at him.

“Surviving isn’t living! And what about the supplies? Every day we have less than the day before! Every day, we have to bury more and more of our own. When will it be enough for you?!” His voice rose until he was shouting. His father did not flinch, did not even blink at him.

“I am finished discussing this with you, Rin,” he stated calmly.

“But!”

“No! We are done talking about this. You are dismissed.” His father’s tone was cold, and even Rin knew better than to continue to push things when he spoke that way. Instead, he clenched his fists, turned on his heel, and marched out of his father’s council room. He was so angry he forgot to keep his tail concealed and it flicked angrily behind him as he walked. Until a hand closed around his tail and yanked.

Rin yelped and spun around, tugging his tail from the grasp of his older brother, Mephisto. Mephisto raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s bad form to let your tail show, little brother,” he chided. Rin grumbled and tucked his tail back under his clothing, wrapped around his torso. Amaimon strode up next to Mephisto as Rin adjusted his tail.

“What has you so bothered that you’re letting your tail show?” he asked as he nibbled on some dried fruits. Rin swore Amaimon was always eating.

“Nothing. It’s fine. I was just…talking to father,” Rin replied quickly. Mephisto raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? And what did you and father talk about?” Rin could tell by Mephisto’s expression that he already knew, but he answered anyway.

“I was trying to convince him to let us go to the surface again, or at least set up some sort of system to trade or something! Anything, so that our people don’t have to keep dying,” he finished in a mumble. Mephisto grimaced.

“Ah, thank you for that. Now he’s going to be even less pleased with my report on the latest harvests and hunts,” he muttered as he ran a hand through his purple hair. Rin winced.

“Sorry.”

Mephisto shook his head. He glanced around to make sure they were alone before replying. “It’s not really your fault. You’re not wrong. We don’t have enough down here to keep sustaining our people.” Amaimon nodded, still eating his snacks. Rin narrowed his eyes.

“We could just get rid of Amaimon. That should double the amount of time our resources will last,” he replied.

“Hey! I resent that.” Amaimon pouted, mouth still full of food. Mephisto shook his head with a crooked smile.

“Our little brother isn’t exactly wrong,” he reprimanded playfully. Rin gave a triumphant grin, which fell after he realized Amaimon’s eyes had glazed over.

“Amaimon? Amaimon?” he called his brother’s name as he reached out and shook his arm. Mephisto frowned and put a hand on Amaimon’s shoulder. He guided their brother to the wall and helped him sit down. Rin followed, pointed ears flicking nervously. “Mephisto?”

“Patience, Rin.”

Rin snapped his mouth shut and watched his older brothers with a worried expression. After a moment, Amaimon seemed to come back to reality…somewhat.

“Behemoth,” he murmured. Rin’s ears jumped at the familiar name and Mephisto’s frown deepened.

“The guardian?” Rin asked. Amaimon raised his gaze to Rin, who stood over him, and nodded.

“There are…people…near him,” he responded.

“How many?” Mephisto demanded.

Amaimon shook his head. “Can’t say.” His eyes got a faraway look to them, as if he was seeing something they weren’t. He probably was. Rin had no idea how his brother connected to the guardian, but he did know they shared something of a consciousness. Amaimon could see and hear whatever Behemoth did. His eyes moved, as if tracking movement, but neither of his brothers moved. They waited for several minutes. Finally, Amaimon relaxed against the wall. His eyes focused on Rin and he blinked a few times. “We got them. Took out their underwater ship.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out another piece of dried fruit to nibble on.

Rin relaxed. “That’s good, right?” he asked. Mephisto pursed his lips.

“That depends. Behemoth’s duty is to guard us from intruders, so in the sense that he hasn’t forgotten and is still able to follow our brother’s commands, that would be good. But I can’t help but wonder why humans are once again at our entrance, when they haven’t searched for us in thousands of years,” he mused. He sighed. “Father is not going to like this.” Amaimon closed his eyes and nodded. Then his eyes shot wide open.

“He’s going to like this even less,” he put in. His eyes were moving wildly again and Rin couldn’t help the shiver that ran down his spine. “No! Stop! ARGH!”

“What? What happened?!” Mephisto demanded.

“Some of them slipped past,” Amaimon grumbled as he stood up. Mephisto shot to his feet.

“What do you mean ‘some of them slipped past’?!”

“What does it sound like, _brother_?” Amaimon snapped. He glared at their older brother with such an intensity Rin couldn’t help but take a step back. “They. Got. Past. Behemoth.” Rin’s eyes widened and his body trembled. No one had gotten past Behemoth. Ever. His mouth was suddenly dry and his heart stuttered in his chest.

“That’s not possible!” Mephisto shot back. Amaimon glared and squared his shoulders to their oldest brother.

“I’m telling you: It. Just. Happened!” He growled.

“Behemoth is our best line of defense! He can’t just fail!”

“He didn’t! They snuck past and blasted him with their weapons on the way in, the dirty bastards!” Amaimon’s face twisted into a rage filled scowl. Rin swallowed and backed up again. At the mention of blasting and weapons, his thoughts were flooded with a mix of dreams and memories, of fire and screaming and sinking.

“Is this…this…does this…are we…the fire…the fire again?” he stammered, unable to put all the thoughts running through his mind into a coherent sentence. Both his older brothers paused when he spoke, and Amaimon seemed to back down slightly.

“What’s going on here?” another voice demanded, one that Rin was extremely grateful to hear. He spun around.

“Yukio!” He couldn’t help the relief that flooded through him at seeing his younger, much more collected and calm brother. Yukio regarded all of them with an even expression.

“What are you three doing?” he asked again.

Rin opened his mouth to explain, but Mephisto beat him to it. “There’s been a security issue. Report to the council room, the rest of us will be there soon.” Yukio’s eyebrows shot up, but he nodded. He turned on his heel and marched to the council room.

Rin turned to his oldest brother. A security issue was putting it lightly. Even if Behemoth had managed to fully dispatch the intruders and prevent them from entering, it would have been reported as a security issue to keep their king in the know. This was a full-on breach. “Why didn’t you tell…”

“It would be pointless to just repeat ourselves a bunch of times and waste time, Rin,” Mephisto cut him off. “Go and get Shiemi. If we have to go up against the intruders physically, she might be needed. It’s best if she knows what we’re going into.” Rin nodded.

“R-right.” He turned and raced off to find the healer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I felt the behemoth that is with Amaimon would fit the role of the Guardian well, and I thought it would be fun to add in him having the ability to control it/communicate with it. :)
> 
> If you feel like giving me a shout on tumblr, I'm m34gs
> 
> Hope you are all staying safe!


	4. Chapter 4

It had been days. At least, Ryuji assumed it had been. The cavern and tunnels were long and dark, with no way to tell how long they’d been down there. But with the distance they’d travelled, it must have been a long time. There weren’t many of them left; less than a quarter of the people they’d started with in that large submarine. Despite this, they’d been doing alright, moving at a decent pace, and overcoming all the obstacles by following the journal. Ryuji followed the journal as though his life depended on it, and it really did. He didn’t know what he would do if the journal lead them to a dead end. The thought kept him awake most times they stopped to make camp.

They had just stopped, hopefully for the last time as the journal showed their current location seemed to be near to the Lost Island…Ryuji pursed his lips as he studied the maps and writings. “…maybe a half-day, maybe a quarter?...” he mumbled to himself.

“Oi! Bon! Come on over and eat something!” Renzo called, waving him over to where a small group sat camped around a fire. Ryuji’s stomach growled in assent, and he sighed. He closed the book and tucked it into a satchel he’d found among the salvaged supplies. As he drew closer, he groaned internally. The group consisted of Renzo, Konekomaru, Shura, and Izumo. And Renzo was seated right next to Izumo. The poor girl, Ryuji felt a pang of sympathy toward her. Renzo must have made some suggestive joke or other, because all of a sudden, Izumo turned and punched his shoulder, effectively knocking him over. Ryuji’s sympathy was replaced with smug pride and he smirked at Renzo as he sat down in the now vacant spot.

“I bet you deserved that,” he stated. Izumo nodded.

“He did,” she replied matter-of-factly. Renzo pouted and rubbed his shoulder.

“Oh, come on! It was just a joke,” he muttered. Izumo rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t find it funny at all,” she stated as she dug into her meal. Ryuji eyed the dish of…well, he wasn’t exactly sure _what_ it was, but it was supposed to be food of some sort. Even after days of eating the stuff, he didn’t think he’d ever be used to it, but his empty stomach meant he grabbed a plate anyway. He dug into it and forced himself to focus on conversing with his crewmates rather than the flavour of the meal.

“So, how much time left, Bon?” Konekomaru asked between bites. Ryuji swallowed and nodded.

“I’m…not quite sure,” he answered honestly. Shura raised her eyebrows.

“You’re not sure?” she prompted. Ryuji shrugged.

“It’s not exact…we have different technology and different measurement systems than they did when Atlantis fell, and when this book was written,” he explained.

Izumo put aside her finished tray and ran her fingers through her dark hair, untangling a couple small knots. “I hope it’s soon,” she muttered. “I don’t know how much longer I can put up with that pink-haired idiot.”

“Hey!” Renzo squawked. “I’m not an idiot!”

“Not in the sense that you’re stupid,” Konekomaru butted in, “but you do and say some very…questionable things.”

“Wha-but…I-I do…I do _not_!” Renzo spluttered in protest. Ryuji shook his head, fighting to keep his smile off his face.

“You definitely do,” Izumo replied. She stood and grabbed her tray, taking it over to be washed.

Renzo turned to Ryuji, now pouting even more. “Boooon! Tell them I don’t!” Ryuji stared at Renzo for half a second before his façade cracked and he started laughing. “No! Not you too! The Betrayal!” Konekomaru and Shura joined in the laughter, and Renzo only wailed even more. “Oh come on!” Their laughter echoed across the cavern, and they only stopped when Captain Lucifer ordered lights out.

***

Rin watched the camp. All the inhabitants had gathered around fires, eating and sharing food, much like his own people. And he saw their technology. Sure, it wasn’t anything compared to what his people had when they thrived on the surface, but such technology had been lost to them for centuries. His ears twitched at the raucous noise that burst from one small group. Laughter. Genuine, unrestrained laughter. It had been a while since he’d heard that.

As the lights of the camp dimmed, Rin couldn’t keep his tail from flicking in anticipation. He tried to keep the twitching to a minimum; he needed to be calmer, give the impression of total control. This wasn’t his first time leading a scouting mission, but this _was_ the first time it was against an actual potential threat. And it would be the first time he would deliberately be disobeying his father’s orders.

Next to him, Yukio shifted slightly, the only sign of anticipation he would ever show. Rin couldn’t see his younger twin’s face beneath the large, fearsome mask he wore, but he could imagine the cold determination in his eyes. In all honesty, Yukio would be the better leader here, Rin was sure of it. But Rin was older. And Yukio…he was born… _different_ from other members of the Royal Family. Rin had the authority on this mission. Rin thanked whoever made their masks so large and ferocious-looking, because he knew for certain his twitching ears and nervous expression would do little to intimidate anyone right now.

As the last light went out, Rin tensed and crept forward slowly. He heard the near-silent footfalls of his companions, indicating they were following him. They snuck into the camp like shadows. The only light was provided by their crystals. Rin’s ears flicked and twitched, catching the sound of each individual breathing, their inhales, exhales, snores…it would be overwhelming if he wasn’t already used to it. As he drew near to the opposite end of the camp, not much had caught his attention. The tents down here were smaller. _These guys must not be as important,_ he reasoned. He still wanted to investigate. They were here for information, after all. Numbers, weapons, resources, they needed this knowledge. It wouldn’t do for them to go up against an enemy if that enemy had thousands of years to grow in strength and knowledge. That was his father’s logic, anyway. Rin wanted information, too, but in a different way.

The tents now barely covered a person’s body, and there were a few close together, close enough for the occupants to talk to each other quietly if they wanted. And by the looks of things, they had, as all their heads were outside their tents, facing each other, as if they fell asleep talking. Rin slowed his pace and scanned over the intruders. The others followed suit behind him. He couldn’t be certain, but he thought he recognized these ones as the loud laughing ones from before.

His attention was drawn to one in particular. This one had short dark hair, a broad chest and strong-looking arms. As Rin stepped closer, he noticed a glint on the person’s face. He narrowed his eyes until he realized what he was looking at: piercings. Not large ones made of bone, like many of his people had, but small, shiny ones that looked to be made of a metal of some kind. Interesting. Rin tilted his head and let his eyes wander over the sleeping intruder. He was clutching a book. A book with a rune on the front; a rune that looked familiar. Rin crouched over the sleeping figure, reaching out to touch the book.

“Rin!” Yukio’s voice hissed. “Stop. This was supposed to just be a scouting to gather information so we would be prepared to fight them.” Rin paused, his tail twitching irritably, but he kept it wrapped around himself.

“I _am_ gathering information. This rune, it looks similar to ones I’ve seen at home,” he replied as quietly as possible.

“You’re endangering the mission!” Yukio protested and Rin heard him approach. Despite being twins, Yukio had never been as silent as his older brothers. Yes, he’d worked hard for his stealth and his physical abilities, but he had never quite reached the level of his brothers. Rin whirled around and straightened to face him, without even making a sound. He noticed his brother’s shoulders tense, his hands ready to grab his weapon, responding to the challenge automatically. But this was Rin’s mission. He was the lead here. And he had his own agenda to follow. Yukio would listen to _him_.

The two of them stood, tense, glaring at each other through their masks for several minutes. Abruptly, Yukio took a step back and relaxed his posture. Rin, in turn, relaxed his own stance, though he held himself tall, making sure the others knew who was in charge. _Put on a confident front,_ he thought, _even if I don’t feel it. That’s what Mephisto always says._ Inside, he was a mess of nerves and he could not, for the life of him, get his tail to stop moving under his clothes.

When he was satisfied with Yukio’s response, Rin turned back to the sleeping intruder and crept forward again. He reached out and gently traced the cover of the book, before grabbing the corner of it. He gave an experimental tug. The intruder’s grip tightened at first, but then went slack. Rin slowly inched the book out of his grasp. When it was free, he pulled back slightly. He opened the book and skimmed it in the light of his crystal. It was full of signs and symbols, all of them familiar, and none of which he could read. He frowned in frustration and rifled through the book some more, searching for anything he could understand. He was aware of Yukio creeping closer to him, until he could look over Rin’s shoulder. He held the book out a little to give his brother a better view. Yukio had always been the more thoughtful one. Maybe he would pick up on something…

It was as they were pouring over the book that Rin’s ears picked up a different sound, a change in breathing, a shift, a gasp. He looked up, alarmed, and right into the wide-eyed face of the intruder. He immediately signalled the others to move, and shoved Yukio into motion. He had to take up the rear. That was part of his responsibility. They knew where to go. He had to make sure they all got there.

***

Ryuji wasn’t sure what exactly it was that woke him, but he knew that _something_ was… _off_. He blinked and his eyes adjusted to the light… _light? From where? From what?_ And then he saw them, standing an arm’s length away, two figures, with large…heads? Or was that a mask? The light came from pendants, crystals, with a soft blue glow coming from them. And they were standing together, investigating a book…his book! The journal! Ryuji flipped onto his stomach with a gasp. All at once, the strangers tensed. Then they ran. There were more than Ryuji had initially realized. He thought there were two, but there was definitely five. The one clutching the journal brought up the rear as they raced away. Ryuji blinked once. Twice. Then he was on his feet and shouting.

“Hey! Get back here!” he hollered as he raced after them. Confused mumbles and grunts were the replies he got as his crewmates roused to his voice, but Ryuji didn’t care. If they lost this book, they lost their map, their guide. They would be stuck down here without any idea how to proceed. “Stop! Give it back! I need that!” Beams of light swung around the cavern now, flashlights as everyone else tried to see what was going on. Ryuji ignored the calls for him to come back and explain. He kept running. The terrain was difficult, but not impossible. Behind him, he heard engines roar to life. The few machines that were salvaged, like the digger and a couple transport vehicles, crunched over the rocky ground. Ryuji kept going. He could see the one in front of him, and he could almost reach him. _How the hell are they so fast?_ He wondered as he did his best to keep up. He could see part of what had to be the stranger’s outfit. It was dark, and he couldn’t really see properly, but it looked to be some sort of dark cord…with a tassel of some kind on the end. It swayed as the stranger ran in front of him, and Ryuji reached out blindly. His fist closed around the cord, though it felt a bit stiff for a cord, and he yanked. The resulting screech was inhuman and the stranger tumbled to the ground in front of Ryuji, the journal bouncing out of his hands.

The other strangers up ahead stopped running at the sound. Ryuji watched as they stared at the scene, but he couldn’t tell what any of them were thinking due to the large, wild masks they wore. One of them shouted and immediately charged back at him. He had a weapon drawn and pointed at Ryuji and was shouting. He leapt in front of the fallen stranger’s prone form and jabbed a spear at Ryuji. Ryuji held up his hands and stepped back, eyes wide and chest heaving from trying to catch his breath. He couldn’t catch what was being said, except for one word that kept being repeated.

“Rin…” then a rushed sententce, “Rin!” a couple harsh-sounding phrases, “Rin…” that was what Ryuji could make out. As that one shouted at him, the others doubled back and helped the fallen one stand. As soon as he was on his feet, the group of them started forward again, with the one holding the spear bringing up the rear this time. As he inched backward, the last one scooped up the journal.

“Wait! NO! I need that!” Ryuji protested and he stepped forward again. The stranger snarled at him. The others in his group had put a fair amount of distance between them, and Ryuji found himself wondering how the hell they could run so fast with an injured member. He could see some sort of light ahead, almost like the opening of a tunnel. _Where are they going?_ He wondered.

The one in front of him turned now, and raced toward the others. Ryuji blinked in surprise. Then he started running again as well, doing his best to ignore the burn in his legs and the tightness in his chest. Behind him, he could hear others calling out to him, shouting for him to stop and wait, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that. He needed to follow.

He burst through the opening, and was momentarily blinded by light. Blinking, Ryuji brought a hand up to shield his eyes. Once they adjusted enough, he dropped his hand, eyes wide in amazement. He was standing on a cliff, suspended over a large body of water. And the cliff, it had a bridge. A bridge that attached it to an island in the middle of all the water. An island with large structures, plants, and animals on it. Torches and lamps all around the island and along the bridge gave off a light strong enough to illuminate his surroundings.

“That…this…” he mumbled to himself and took another step forward. Immediately, shouting broke out. He turned his startled gaze back to the cliff he was on and saw that the strangers he’d been chasing were still there. The one he’d grabbed was on his knees, with another one trying to support him. The one with the spear was shouting at him again. Ryuji couldn’t understand what was being said, could do nothing but stare. They were all dressed in light cloth, but two of them wore more than the others, and theirs were decorated with vibrant colours while the others seemed to have a more plain style. Each of them wore a mask carved with designs reminiscent of creatures Ryuji had only ever seen in zoos, and painted blues and reds, making the overall appearance of the group somewhat intimidating. Around each of their necks hung a crystal, which carried in it a blue light, glowing and flickering like a flame. And the cord, the one he pulled, Ryuji realized now was not a cord at all. It was a _tail._

A noise from behind him dragged Ryuji away from his observations. “Bon! Bon!” He glanced over his shoulder to see Renzo and Konekomaru come up behind him, blinking in the sudden harsh light. “Bon, what the hell? Why would you take off like that?!” Renzo demanded as he shielded his eyes. “Where _are_ we? The vehicles got stuck a while back!” Ryuji didn’t have a chance to answer before Captain Lucifer stepped out of the opening, followed by Shura and another crew member he recognized as Todo Saburota.

“What on earth…” Shura’s voice trailed off as she took in the sight. The captain and Todo seemed to be in a similar state of awe…for a moment.

The stranger holding the spear shouted again and everyone’s eyes snapped to him. He hollered at them and made jabs at them with his spear, clearly trying to make them retreat. Ryuji held his hands up in a placating gesture and backed up a step. This wasn’t enough and the stranger continued shouting.

“We’re not here to harm you,” Ryuji called, hoping with all his soul they understood some of what he said. From the continued aggression, he was going to assume the answer was no. The other strangers, surrounding the one on the ground, held tight to their own weapons; spears and swords. One of them called something out, and this time, it was slow enough Ryuji could understand. He blinked as the impossibility washed over him. “My god,” he mumbled.

“What? What is it, Bon?” Konekomaru asked anxiously.

Ryuji swallowed. “They’re…they’re Atlanteans.”

“What? Impossible!” Renzo hissed back. “The island sank, like, thousands of years ago! There’s no way the people are alive…and…and _living_ down here!”

“You say that, and yet here we are.” The voice came from the stranger on his knees. His companions froze, but he seemed to be less disturbed as he pushed himself up to his feet. He took a moment to tuck his…tail…into his clothes. Ryuji swallowed.

“You…you speak our language,” he observed. The stranger seemed to regard him through the mask.

“I speak many languages,” he replied after a moment. The companion closest to him shifted uneasily and muttered something in Atlantean that Ryuji couldn’t quite hear. A hand on Ryuji’s shoulder had him turn his head to see Captain Lucifer.

The captain gave a charming smile to the strangers. “We are explorers from the surface. We mean no harm to you,” he greeted them. Mutters broke out among the Atlanteans for a few minutes. Then, the one that spoke to them held up a hand. The talking stopped. He tilted his head as he watched Ryuji’s captain.

“No harm, huh,” he echoed. “Is that why you attacked my brother’s Behemoth?”

Lucifer’s brow crinkled and he mouthed the word, clearly trying to come up with the memory.

“The…the beast that attacked our submarine,” Ryuji supplied softly. He couldn’t see the Atlantean’s eyes due to the mask, but he could tell he was looking at Ryuji now. He shifted awkwardly and felt his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. “It…probably was trying to protect them. And we…I shot at it. I’m sorry,” he finished lamely, directing his last sentence to the Atlanteans. The Atlantean who spoke to them tilted his head. Then he reached up, slowly, and removed his mask. Ryuji almost took a step back in surprise. Underneath the mask, the Atlantean was young, with black hair and brilliant blue eyes. Ryuji could just see the tips of his pointed ears, and when he spoke, he noticed his teeth were slightly sharper than a regular person’s.

“Behemoth is our protector,” he confirmed, his voice clearer now that the mask wasn’t muffling it. “It would take more than your weapons to take it down.” The young Atlantean shifted and strapped his mask onto his back. As he did, the others followed suit. The one closest to him looked strikingly similar, with dark hair and blue eyes, but he had three moles on his face and more of a soft look to his features. His eyes were colder, too. The only one to retain his mask was the Atlantean closest to them, spear still pointed at them. “Sei,” the apparent leader called. The masked Atlantean tensed, but did not take his mask off. “Sei, it’s ok. Sei. They won’t hurt me.” Finally, the Atlantean lowered his spear. He backed up toward the rest of the group, removing his mask as he did so. His dark hair appeared messy, and his large dark eyes stayed fixed on Ryuji in a glare. He muttered something to their leader, who only shook his head. Then the leader looked at their group and smiled. It was a bright smile. A warm one. Ryuji hoped that meant they were no longer in any danger. “My name is Rin. Welcome, explorers, to Atlantis.” Ryuji couldn’t help but return the smile with a relieved one of his own.

Lucifer grinned at the Atlanteans. “Thank you,” he stated. “We are eager to learn about your city. Please, lead the way.”


	5. Welcome to Atlantis

Ryuji could not help but stare in awe as they followed the Atlanteans across the bridge and onto the island. Trees and plants, the likes of which he’d never see before, towered over them. Scattered among the foliage were houses of varying sizes, and people. They watched Ryuji and the crew silently, with wide eyes. The torches and lamps dotted among the homes and trails carried a blue flame like the one in the crystal around the neck of each islander. It flickered and danced, appearing to burn without any fuel.

The further inland they went, the fewer plants and more houses they saw, built from stone and carved with intricate designs. Eventually, they reached what Bon figured had to be the centre, with a large building towering over them and sprawling wide, like a palace. He figured it must be where the leader of the Atlanteans held his audiences. At least, he did until another Atlantean ran up to them.

A high pitched voice shouted out, and Rin stopped walking, causing everyone else to pause. It was a girl, hair in a blonde bob and bright green eyes sparkling as she caught up to them. She called something out again, with a smile. Rin smiled back. Ryuji frowned. He recognized one of the words she used…and if that was true…then…

“…Prince Rin?” he asked aloud hesitantly. The girl with the green eyes immediately snapped her gaze to him and her eyes widened and she stepped back.

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “Prince?”

Rin blinked and tilted his head, regarding them with an open expression. “Um, yes. My brother, Yukio, and I are the youngest sons of the King.” He gestured to the young man with the cold eyes who looked similar to him.

“So, you have a monarchy?” Renzo cut in, looking interested now. Rin nodded.

“Yes. I was actually taking you in to have an audience with my father. He would need to know we have visitors,” he answered with a smile. He glanced at the girl with the blonde hair. “This is Shiemi. She is our most skilled healer, and a good friend to the Royal Family.” The girl smiled and gave a small bow. Then she turned to Rin, expression morphing to worry. She said something in Atlantean, something Bon could not decipher. Rin grimaced and shook his head. The one called Yukio crossed his arms, a frown present on his face. Sei kept his eyes on the crew, as if he expected them to leap forward and attack his Princes at any moment. At least his protective nature made sense to Ryuji now, somewhat. Sei seemed to be more attached to Prince Rin than Prince Yukio. But maybe he was just specifically to guard Prince Rin. Perhaps the other man with them was there for Yukio.

Finally, it seemed Shiemi’s and Rin’s conversation concluded. Rin turned to their group again. “I apologize for the interruption. Let’s move forward.”

“It is no problem at all,” Lucifer replied with a smile. “We are grateful for your hospitality.” Rin’s smile seemed to slip a little, but he quickly recovered and nodded.

“Follow me, please,” he stated and began to walk forward again. The crew followed him without question, up a set of stairs carved into stone, and through a large corridor. There were paintings and carvings and benches throughout the corridor, and many alcoves with windows looking out on the rest of the island.

They stopped in front of a large curtain, woven with designs similar to Rin’s clothing, but looking less fine and comfortable. Rin paused in front of the curtain. This prompted his brother to say something in Atlantean, but Ryuji only understood part of it: _“No help from me”._ He frowned as he puzzled over the words. A slight hiss came from Sei and even the other Atlantean, a plain-looking fellow, looked tense. But Rin shook his head and they both looked away from the Princes. Rin nodded at his brother and squared his shoulders before pushing aside the curtain.

***

His father’s council room was large and round, with a circular table in the center. The King’s seat was raised on a dais, just a few feet from the table, giving him the ability to see everything that might occur there. In the seat, the King sat, long white hair draped over his shoulders, cold blue eyes scanning the group behind Rin before landing on him. Rin swallowed nervously. He could see both his older brothers standing next to the stairs leading to the dais, with their own guards nearby. Mephisto raised his eyebrows at the group behind him. Amaimon looked murderous. It was rare for his older brother to show so much expression, but given what happened to Behemoth…Rin kept his eyes on him as he approached the dais.

“…what have you _done_ , Rin?” their father’s voice rolled from the dais in a cold whisper in their native tongue. Rin squared his shoulders and face his father…his king.

“I thought they could help us. They came down to us from the surface. And one of them had a book…it has runes on it like the ones that surround our buildings,” he explained. “They said they mean no harm.”

Amaimon narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but their father held up is hand to silence him. Amaimon snapped his mouth shut and folded his arms as he looked away with a pout. Turning to Rin, their father sighed.

“My son. You trust too easily,” his voice was less hostile now, more sorrowful. Rin tensed, his ears twitching indignantly.

“And you trust no one, not even your sons! You will kill our people,” he protested. He felt his tail twitch and struggled to keep it concealed under his clothes. His father’s gaze did not waver.

“Maybe so,” he answered slowly. “But _you_ would _destroy_ them.” He lifted his gaze from Rin and turned it to the group of explorers behind him. In their language, now, he spoke. “You all should go back from where you came. You are outsiders and are not welcome here.” Rin clenched his fists at his sides.

It was then that the leader of the explorers, Lucifer, stepped forward and addressed the king. “Your Majesty. We have come a long way just to see this place.”

“I care not for how far you’ve come. Turn back,” the king replied coldly. Lucifer sighed.

“Very well. But may I ask you give us a few days to rest and gather up supplies before we leave? Most of what we had was lost when we lost our submarine,” he suggested. The king regarded them coldly for a moment.

“You may have three days.”

Lucifer broke into a wide smile. “Thank you for your mercy and hospitality,” he answered with a low bow. The king did not falter in his cold stare. He looked to one of the guards gathered.

“Go and make certain rooms are prepared for our guests.” The guard dipped his head in a bow and the King turned back to the explorers. Rin chewed his lip. His father was radiating displeased energy. His tail twitched slightly, but he managed to keep it hidden away under his clothes. “You can go and replenish your supplies in the market.” With that he gave a wave to dismiss them. Captain Lucifer continued to thank them graciously as the group left the council room, but none of the Royals were listening to him. Rin swallowed as the group left. Immediately after the outsiders were gone, Amaimon whirled to glare at him. With a yelp, Rin leapt away as his older brother lunged at him.

“You!” Amaimon snarled. He leapt at Rin and Rin was not quick enough to evade him. His older brother caught him and dragged him to the floor, pinning him.

“I’m sorry!” Rin yelped as he squirmed under Amaimon, trying to get away.

“How could you?! They injured Behemoth!” he snapped, his long nails digging into Rin’s arms.

“I…I…” Rin stammered. Amaimon growled. “L-listen! I’m just trying to help!”

“Amaimon. Release your brother. This is not how Princes of Atlantis behave in the Council Room,” their father’s voice did not rise in volume but carried over their own voices regardless. With a huff, Amaimon let go of Rin and stood. He grumbled under his breath, offered their father a short bow, and stormed out of the room. Rin sat up, but made no move to stand. He kept his eyes on the floor. Their father continued speaking. “I forbid any of you from being around those outsiders more than is necessary. You are not to interact with any of them unless I say so. Am I understood?”

“Yes, father,” Yukio and Mephisto agreed at the same time. Rin nodded, but that was not good enough for their father.

“Rin?” he demanded. Rin’s tail twitched under his clothes again.

“…yes, father,” he muttered.

“Good. You are dismissed.”

As soon as the words left the King’s mouth, Rin stood up and strode out of the room. He didn’t pay attention to his surroundings, didn’t think about where he was going. His feet led him to his room, the one safe haven he had where it didn’t matter what his father said. The lights in the lanterns and lamps that lit up their little island dimmed slowly throughout the city, signaling the end of the day. The brilliant city was reduced to a gentle glow. It was always like this, ever since The Fall of Atlantis. Rin remembered the dreams he had, of a warm, orange light source in the sky above them, and a glowing blue flame, fantastic and beautiful, but he doubted he would ever see that sight again. With orange lights and pretty men with piercings on his mind, Rin drifted into a restless sleep. He didn’t even stir as his twin entered the room and slipped into the other bed for the night.

***

_“Danger.”_

_Faces flashed through his mind. Father. Mephisto. Amaimon. Yukio. Shiemi. Sei. Ryuji. Blue lights flashed around him. He was in the city. And then he was in the throne room. And then he was…somewhere unknown. Dark. Clammy. The smell of mildew. And something burning. Screaming. Someone was screaming. Screaming for him. Blue light flashed around him rapidly and Rin tried to close his eyes, but that didn’t stop him from seeing. People running, mothers crying, a wave, and a fire consuming everything in its path._

_Then, darkness. Rin turned and tried to see if anyone was there, but he saw nothing. He tried to call out, but his voice would not work._

_In front of him, a blue flame appeared. Small and gentle, it floated in front of him. “Danger.” The voice from his previous dream spoke to him once more. “Rin Okumura. You are the only hope.”_

Rin shot upright in his bed, breathing hard. His heart thudded painfully in his chest and his palms were cold and clammy. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry. Rin looked over at his brother, barely illuminated by the light of their small crystals. For once, it seemed, Rin hadn’t woken him. Hoping to keep it that way, Rin slipped quietly out of his bed and out of their shared bedroom.

His dry mouth was begging him for some water, so Rin made his way to the kitchen. He navigated quietly through the kitchen, grabbing a cup and filling it with water from a pitcher. He took a sip and tried to make sense of the dream he had. His hands trembled, so he set the cup down on the counter, lest he spill all over himself, and took a deep breath.

“Can’t sleep again?” a voice drawled. Rin glanced over his shoulder to see the shadowy outline of Amaimon leaning on the counter near the entrance and watching him.

“I could say the same to you,” he replied and took another sip of water. Amaimon strolled forward casually.

“I couldn’t sleep knowing those outsiders are in the same building as me,” he muttered. Rin winced. He set his cup down again and fiddled with it between his hands. Amaimon stopped next to him, not facing him but staring at the cup on the countertop. He bumped his shoulder against Rin’s. “What about you? Why couldn’t you sleep?”

Rin shrugged. “I don’t really want to talk about it.” Now, Amaimon did turn to him.

“Ehhh? What do you mean? I told you my reason! You have to tell me yours, it’s only fair!” he whined. Rin frowned.

“Huh?! When was that a rule? I never asked you to tell me, by the way! You did that on your own. I don’t owe you any explanation!” he snapped back. Amaimon threw his arms around Rin and continued whining.

“But you let the people who hurt my Behemoth in! So you owe me a lot, actually!” he protested.

“Wha-bu…how…that! That’s not even relevant to this!” Rin spluttered. He tried to squirm his way out of Amaimon’s arms, but his older brother just clung tighter. “What! Let go! I swear, you’re more childish than I am, and I’m the younger one!”

“I’ll let go when you tell me!” Amaimon stopped supporting his own weight abruptly, causing Rin and him both to tumble to the ground.

“Oof!” Rin grunted as his backside hit the ground. “What the hell was that for?! Get off, you idiot!”

“Never!” Amaimon tightened his grip. Rin twisted himself and freed one of his arms. He used it to hit his older brother repeatedly on the head.

“Let! Go! Let! Go! Let! Go!” Rin chanted in time with his swings. Amaimon just ducked his head down and held on tighter.

“Not until you _tell meeeeee_ ,” he replied. Instead of hitting Amaimon again, Rin grabbed his frace and tried to turn it away. Amaimon pushed back with his forehead. Rin tried to kick him but only succeeded in causing both of them to tumble around on the ground, bumping into a cupboard door that had been left slightly open and causing it to close with a loud slam. Both of them froze for a moment.

Silence. Rin’s ears twitched, trying to see if he could detect any footsteps. His tail writhed underneath yesterday’s clothes and he realized he had forgotten to change before going to sleep. His hand was still on Amaimon’s face, and he could feel his brother’s eyelashes against his palm as he blinked. Rin didn’t realize he was holding his breath until his lungs started to ache. Pursing his lips, he let the air out slowly. “I think we should,” he began, but stopped abruptly when he felt something wet slide across the bottom of his palm. Rin yanked his hand back in disgust. “Did you just _lick_ me? Gross!” Amaimon grinned and then opened his mouth wide, stuck out his tongue and leaned forward. “Ew! No! Gross!” Rin tried to pull away and used his free hand to push on his older brother’s shoulder.

“Blaaaaaaah,” Amaimon taunted as he tried to push forward. Rin couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up and escaped him.

“Alright! Alright, I’ll tell you, so stop it already,” he gave in. Amaimon retracted his tongue and grinned as he let go of his younger brother. Rin sighed and tried to smooth down his hair. Amaimon leaned back against the cupboard, hooded eyes fixed on his brother. Rin didn’t look at him. “It’s lame. I had another dream.” Amaimon tilted his head.

“About The Fall?”

Rin scratched his head absently as he leaned back. “Sort of? I don’t know. It was confusing.”

Amaimon hummed. He picked at his nightclothes with his long fingernails. “You know, Behemoth has been strange lately.”

Rin frowned and turned to his brother. “You mean, since the…explorers…attacked him?”

Amaimon pursed his lips. “I wish I could blame it all on them, but no. Before that.” He picked a stray thread off his garment and narrowed his eyes at it. “Been harder to talk to him. And when I do…he feels worried? I don’t understand it. Mephisto seems to get it when I tell him, but he won’t explain it to me,” he finished with a pout.

“That _is_ weird,” Rin agreed. He wiggled his toes against the cool floor. “I wish Mephisto would explain stuff more too. He’s always more secretive than he has to be, you know?” Amaimon grunted and nodded, so Rin continued. “I get that he’s the oldest and has the most responsibility, and all that. But he could trust us a little bit, you know?” Amaimon examined his nails. Rin sighed and stood up. “I mean, Yukio doesn’t make it easy for anyone to trust _him_ , I guess. Those two are similar like that. I can’t seem to figure out what’s going on with either of them anymore.” Amaimon stood up slowly, eyes scanning the dim room. Finally, they landed on a bowl of fruit sitting on the counter. He reached in and picked one up, studying it for a moment before biting into it. Rin smiled slightly and ran a hand through his dark hair. “I guess I can count on you to be open and honest with me, at least.” Amaimon paused in his chewing and his eyes flicked to Rin’s face, then away. He swallowed and smacked his lips before answering.

“Sure.”

Rin’s smile widened. “Thanks, Amaimon.” His older brother only nodded as he finished his snack. Rin reached across him and grabbed a fruit as well, rubbing any dust off of it with his clothes before he bit into the juicy flesh.

Amaimon grabbed another as well and the two of them stood there eating in silence for a few minutes. When he finished, Rin sighed and licked the juices of the fruit off his fingers. “I think I’m gonna go and try to sleep,” he stated. Amaimon nodded, but made no move to leave. Rin just shook his head. “Try not to eat the whole kitchen before breakfast,” he called over his shoulder as he padded out of the kitchen and into the hallway to his room. Amaimon stuck his tongue out at him, but Rin didn’t see.

When he was certain his younger brother was gone back to his room, Amaimon pushed away from the countertop he leaned on. He tugged his night robe closer around his shoulders as he walked down the familiar corridor to his eldest brother’s room. He pushed aside the curtain and slid inside silently. The room was dark but for the light of his and Mephisto’s crystals. Amaimon had to tread carefully. His oldest brother’s room was full of weird nick-nacks and silly things he’d kept since childhood. Amaimon never really understood his attachment to material things, but he’d long since stopped trying to understand most things about his oldest brother.

Mephisto was wrapped up in blankets, eyes closed, completely defenseless. Amaimon’s lips quirked upward in a small smirk. He crouched and inched his way toward his older brother’s bed. When he felt he was in a good position, Amaimon leapt onto his brother’s sleeping form.

There was a shout and Mephisto shot upright. Amaimon barely had time to react before he was on the floor with a sharp thud, a strong hand around his throat. He stared upward with wide eyes at his brother. Mephisto’s hair was messy, his eyes were wild, and he was breathing hard, likely from the sudden rush of adrenaline. As he registered it was Amaimon, Mephisto relaxed. He released Amaimon’s throat and stood up.

“What do you want, Amaimon?” he grumbled, drowsiness washing over his features now that he knew he wasn’t in any danger. Amaimon didn’t answer immediately. He hopped on the bed and examined his nails.

“Rin was awake. He had another dream,” he reported in an uninterested tone. Then he glanced upward. Mephisto had his hands on his hips and was staring off into space, lips pursed.

“The same one?” he asked. Amaimon hummed.

“He said it was kind of the same. But different.”

“…that’s very helpful,” Mephisto drawled. He rolled his eyes, strode over and shoved Amaimon and sat on the bed next to him.

“Maybe you could ask him yourself, and talk to him about it. He feels like you’re keeping things from him. Which you are.”

Mephisto raised and eyebrow at him. “And so are you.” Amaimon wrinkled his nose and looked away. He chewed on his bottom lip.

“Maybe I don’t want to,” he replied. Mephisto sighed. “I don’t understand why we have to. Why do you want to keep so many secrets?”

“Knowledge is power, and I don’t want others to know how much power I have,” he answered. Amaimon frowned.

“But…it’s not that you’re against Rin,” he mumbled. “You’re always so concerned about him.” Mephisto ran a hand through his purple hair.

“If he knows, then Yukio will too. He never keeps anything from him.”

“And you don’t trust Yukio.” It wasn’t a question.

Mephisto gave his younger brother an unimpressed look. “You don’t either. You rarely are around him, and never alone.” Amaimon felt his hackles rise at how easily Mephisto was able to tell how he felt, but he forced himself to pretend to be nonchalant and shrugged.

“He isn’t as fun to mess with as Rin is,” he replied. Mephisto laughed.

“Hmmm. Well, if that’s how it is, then consider this ‘secret-keeping’ as ‘messing with Rin’. Does that make it better?”

It didn’t. Not really. But Amaimon didn’t know why. He couldn’t figure out why his stomach felt like it was full of rocks or his neck prickled as if he was in trouble. But he wouldn’t be weak. Not in front of Mephisto. “Hmmm, I guess so,” he answered, pretending to be bored. A side glance at Mephisto told him his brother wasn’t sure he was telling the truth, so Amaimon chose his back-up plan. Running away. He stood up and brushed off his clothes. “I’m going to bed. This is boring me now.”

“Mmmhmmm,” Mephisto answered and Amaimon felt irritation surge through him as he once again failed to deceive his older brother. But he refused to admit defeat.

“Goodnight,” he stated and forced himself to walk at a lazy, bored pace out of his brother’s room. It was no easy task as there were many things he could trip over, but he managed. He slipped out of the room without another word and made his way back to his own. The corridor was brightening now, as the flames and lanterns flared once more, signalling the start of a new day. He quickened his pace to get back to his room before the outsiders woke up. Despite his younger brother’s trust in them, Amaimon couldn’t help the uneasy feeling he got around the outsiders, particularly their ‘captain’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So I haven't posted on this AU (or any of them really) in a while, but I am continuing to work on them! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I like AUs where Mephisto and Amaimon actually care about Rin's well-being, and it is fun to write them as regular siblings. But I still am Not Impressed with Yukio's behaviour in the manga lately and I guess my writing reflects that lol. Anyway, feel free to let me know what you think.


	6. A Fifth Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji and Rin learn more about each other.
> 
> Yukio learns a truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Hope you enjoy this chapter, it was a lot of fun to write and I spent a lot of time on it!

Ryuji ran a hand through his hair and stretched. The blue flames on the torches and lanterns had brightened now, signalling night was ending. He brought his hand down and rubbed it over his face, wiping the sleep from his eyes. He couldn’t help the exhaustion in his bones. That night had been a sleepless night, full of thoughts and questions racing through his head.

_How have they been surviving down here so long? How do the plants grow without the influence of the sun? How do they purify their water? How do they sustain themselves? What sort of currency do they use?_

Eventually, he resigned himself to not getting any sleep.

Now, as he stretched and prepared himself for the day, Ryuji felt his stomach grumble. He patted it and thought about the meal they had last night. Aside from the king, most of the other Atlanteans were pretty welcoming. Once they realized the foreigners had the blessing of their ruler to stay, that is. There had been so many foods, and they’d all tasted amazing. Ryuji couldn’t even begin to describe all the dishes prepared. There had been so many creatures and plants he didn’t recognize, ones that not even his precious journal described. Ryuji had been too hungry to really pay too much attention, but he knew Renzo had been taking notes and asking many questions.

The thought of food made his stomach growl again and Ryuji started salivating at the idea of more of that delicious meal from the night before. He swallowed and shook his head. He debated taking the journal with him, and decided it was safest on his person, so he tucked it into his waistband. Then he grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it on over his head before leaving the room he shared with both Renzo and Konekomaru. The other two were sleeping still, and Ryuji couldn’t really blame them. He was sure if he could still be asleep, he would be. But he didn’t see the point in sticking around and waiting for them. If he was already awake, he may as well explore and see what things he could learn about Atlantis and its inhabitants.

Ryuji padded out into the corridor. There was no one else around, and a comfortable silence surrounded him. The blue of the fire cast everything in a cool light, but it still gave off a gentle warmth. Ryuji made his way to the dining hall slowly, doing his best to remember the way from last night. He was halfway there, almost at the kitchen, when he heard a yelp and a blur flew out the entryway and crashed into the opposite wall.

“Stay out of the kitchen!” a voice roared in Atlantean, at least Ryuji thought that’s what was said. Ryuji blinked and took in the sight of one of the Atlantean Princes, the one with the green hair, slumped against the wall, rubbing his head and scowling.

The prince grumbled something under his breath and shoved himself to his feet. He picked up a fruit that had fallen to the ground, gently brushed dust off it and took a large bite. That was when he realized Ryuji was there. The prince glared at Ryuji.

“What do you want?” he snapped in Ryuji’s language. Ryuji blinked, realizing now that he’d been staring quite openly. With a start he straightened himself and cleared his throat.

“Um…I was…I mean…it’s not…” Ryuji stammered. He looked between the entrance to the kitchen, which had a lovely smell coming out of it. “Is it ok for a prince to be thrown out of the kitchen like that?” The prince narrowed his eyes.

“It is if it’s that one,” came a familiar voice from the kitchen entry way. Ryuji recognized Prince Rin as he stepped out of the kitchen, arms crossed and smirking at the other prince. “Amaimon is known for his endless appetite.” The older prince, Amaimon, narrowed his eyes at Prince Rin.

“Ukobach just shows favouritism,” he snapped back with a pout. Rin grinned and leaned against the doorway. Ryuji couldn’t help the way his eyes trailed to Rin’s biceps, but as the prince spoke again he snapped back to attention.

“Maybe if you learned to cook or helped clean, instead of just eating everything in sight, you would be in his good books,” Rin retorted easily. Amaimon grumbled something under his breath and turned away from them both.

“Whatever. I’m leaving,” he huffed as he stomped away. Ryuji stared after him with a confused frown.

“Uh. Is he always like that?” he asked. Rin sighed and his arms dropped to his sides as he pushed away from the entry to the kitchen.

“I mean, kind of? He’s more grumpy than usual lately, ‘cause of what happened with Behemoth,” Rin responded, his amused expression now serious and thoughtful, staring after his brother for a moment. He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. Then he turned to Ryuji with a brighter expression. “Ryuji, right?” Ryuji nodded. “Well, you’re up and you’re here, so you’re probably hungry, right? Come on.” He gestured for Ryuji to follow him and headed back into the kitchen. Ryuji took one last glance down the corridor before stepping through the kitchen entryway.

Inside was a large room with several ovens, all heated by a regular flame rather than the blue one that was spread throughout the island. It was really warm, and the pleasant scent on the air was even stronger in the room. Counters were covered with various fruits and creatures Ryuji was unfamiliar with. And in the midst of it all stood a tall, broad man, with a large red nose, and rosy cheeks. His hair was short and purple and he had a goatee to match. He glanced over at the two of them with sharp golden eyes, and Ryuji felt a shiver of fear run through him. Prince Rin, however, strode over to the man, and… _tied an apron around his own waist. Wait,_ Ryuji’s mind turned rapidly and he tried to reason with what he was seeing.

Rin looked back at him with a smile. “I’ll make something for you right now, ok?” he asked. But his smile morphed to an expression of confusion. “Um…what’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“A prince…cooks?” was all Ryuji managed to say. He regretted it immediately. Rin’s cheeks took on a pink hue and he looked away, his pointed ears twitching.

“Ah…um…yeah…” he answered absently. The tall man with the golden eyes huffed.

“Class doesn’t matter,” he rumbled in a low voice. “He cooks with passion.” A soft smile returned to the prince’s face and he glanced up at the older man.

“Thanks, Ukobach,” he mumbled. Ukobach grunted and continued on with his work. Ryuji eyed the big man warily as he sidled up to Prince Rin.

“Um. Prince Rin,” he began. The prince stiffened and he stopped.

“Ahaha, um, just ‘Rin’ is fine. I don’t like when people use formalities with me like that. I’ve been trying to get Shiemi and Sei to stop since day one.” Rin’s cheeks were even more red now.

“Oh.” Ryuji chewed his lip a little before continuing. “Rin…then.” The prince next to him relaxed almost instantly and continued his work helping Ukobach. It looked like he was deboning… _something._ “Uh…do you mind if I ask you some questions? Like, about this place and how you all have been living down here, stuff like that?” Rin hummed and tilted his head in thought.

“I mean…you can ask. But that doesn’t mean I’ll be able to answer them. I can hardly remember because I was so young,” he replied with a shrug. Ryuji frowned.

“You mean when you learned the history?” he clarified. Rin paused in his work and looked at him.

“Uh…no? I mean when we ended up down here. I was hardly old enough to walk.”

Ryuji felt his jaw drop and he blinked rapidly. “Wha…but…that! That would make you… _thousands_ of years old,” he protested finally. Rin nodded.

“Yes.” He turned his attention back to the meat in front of him, now gently cutting it into pieces and rolling it in a bowl of spices that sat between himself and Ukobach. The large cook looked as unperturbed by the information as Rin was.

“Um. Does that have anything to do with having a tail?” were the next words to leave Ryuji’s mouth, and the reaction was instantaneous. Rin stiffened. Ukobach dropped his knife. And then Ryuji was on the floor, the large man over top of him, his golden eyes narrowed and his teeth bared in a primal growl.

“What do you know of it?” The large cook snarled. His hand had encircled Ryuji’s throat, and he could feel his air supply getting cut off.

“Ukobach,” Rin tried to intercede once he got over his initial shock.

“You are an outsider! What right do you have to talk about Rin that way?” Ukobach ignored his prince and growled at Ryuji, his hand tightening on the scholar’s throat. Ryuji’s hands scrabbled at the giant cook’s thick arm and fingers, trying desperately to find purchase as dark spots began invading his vision.

“Ukobach!” Rin was shouting now, but his voice sounded more distant to Ryuji than ever, drowned out by his own desperate thoughts. _Dying! Dying! Escape! Survive!_

He finally managed to get a firm grip on the hand around his throat and pried it forward. Only for Ukobach to snarl and slam him back into the ground, knocking the wind out of his lungs with a wheeze and preventing any more from replacing it.

“UKOBACH STOP IT!” Rin roared. He grabbed the large cook’s wrist and glared at him. There was a second of silence. Then, Ukobach slowly lifted his hand and backed away from Ryuji. Rin stepped forward to plant himself between the cook and Ryuji. “He doesn’t know any better, Ukobach.” The cook grunted and looked away, much like an ashamed child. He turned and shuffled back to his work. Rin turned to Ryuji and extended a hand to him, eyebrows raised in concern. “Are you alright, Ryuji?”

Ryuji rubbed his throat and tried to speak, but his voice cracked. Rin blinked and rushed to grab something out of his view. He didn’t try to follow the prince with his eyes, he was too busy focusing on taking in air again. He didn’t even think about anything else until Rin was shoving a cup of water into his hands and tilting his head back to help him drink it.

The cool water was a relief and Ryuji drank it all greedily. When the cup was empty, he found he felt a bit better. “Th-thanks,” he mumbled. Rin smiled when he spoke.

“You’re ok. Thank goodness.” The prince stood and turned to the large chef who Ryuji could tell was doing his best to look very busy. “Ukobach.” The man didn’t respond. “ _Ukobach._ ” There was a ring of authority in Rin’s voice now, and the large man stopped his movements. Slowly, reluctantly, he turned, eyes on the ground. “Ukobach. You owe Ryuji an apology.”

Ryuji shook his head. “N-no, I clearly must have done something,” he began, but Rin cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“You don’t even know what you did. How can we expect you to follow rules you don’t know?” He interrupted without looking at Ryuji. “Ukobach.” The larger man needed no more prompting. He took a deep inhale.

“I apologize,” he rumbled, his voice low and sounding more like a growl than an apology, but the menacing air was gone. Ryuji cleared his throat, which was still sore, and replied in a hoarse voice.

“Uh, apology accepted,” he managed. Rin looked satisfied, and Ukobach returned to finishing his work. Rin once again offered his hand to Ryuji, and he took it. Rin helped him up, though it felt more like he was yanked up solely by the prince, which shocked him a bit. Ryuji was definitely bulky, and more broad than the lean-muscled prince. _What do they eat to have such brute strength?_ “…thanks.”

“It won’t be too much longer until the food’s ready,” Rin told him. “You can sit over here and I’ll bring you some.” He guided Ryuji to a small stool in a corner. Ryuji just plopped down onto it as Rin went back to work. He watched, his mind not really registering fully what he was seeing. He could see Rin and Ukobach moving, but his thoughts kept racing back to that moment, with Ukobach’s hand on his throat, certain he was about to die. Ryuji wasn’t sure if he was so hungry anymore. At least, that was what he thought, until Rin came back and placed a plate of the most delicious-smelling food he’d ever seen in Ryuji’s hands. Ryuji blinked and looked down. He recognized none of the colorful vegetables, but part of it looked like meat in some sort of sauce. Carefully, he tried a piece, delighted to find the sauce was sweet but not overpowering.

Eagerly, he took another bite. “Wow! This is amazing,” he praised between mouthfuls. Rin grinned and pulled up a stool next to him.

“Of course it is! Ukobach and I made it!” He grinned and started shovelling food from his own plate into his mouth. Ryuji smiled in appreciation and continued eating. When they finished and cleaned up their plates, Rin grabbed Ryuji’s wrist and pulled him along behind him. “Come on!” was all he said. Ryuji stumbled after him. They darted through the corridor. Rin stopped at every corner to peer around it before moving on.

Once they got outside, they darted between buildings and down cramped alleyways. Ryuji barely managed to stumble along and keep up. Rin didn’t slow down until the houses became more and more sparse, and even then he was careful to duck into nearby foliage if they got too close to a home. Ryuji barely had time to breathe, let alone comment on Rin’s strangely un-prince-like behaviour.

The two of them didn’t stop until they reached a small crescent-shaped cove, where the trees and strange foliage thinned out before the island met the water, making a small beach. Only then did Rin let go of Ryuji’s arm. Ryuji slowed to a stop and rested his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

“Wha-what,” he finally managed to gasp out. Rin tilted his head and looked at him, not even showing a sign of being winded. “What…why…were we running? W-What was that about? Aren’t you…the prince? Why did we have to sneak around?”

Rin blinked and his ears flicked twice. “You ask a lot of questions all at once.” He stretched his arms over his head and then rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t want anyone to see me with you coming out here. My father ordered me to spend as little time around you as possible.”

“O-oh.” Ryuji straightened slowly, finally having his breathing under control. “Um. Alright.” Rin’s ears flicked and he gave Ryuji a lopsided grin. Ryuji couldn’t help from noticing how his entire body seemed to radiate positive energy, and couldn’t stop himself from giving a small smile of his own. “So. Uh.”

“You wanted to talk, right? You can ask me anything here,” Rin announced. He spread his arms wide, smile still on his face. “There’s no one else around!” Ryuji glanced around, and it did appear they were alone.

“…alright.” His eyes fell on a large rock barely jutting out of the earth. Ryuji walked over and sat on it. “So…uh…I guess I’ll start with why that Ukobach attacked me? Like…did I do something wrong by mentioning your tail?” Rin tilted his head and sat down on the ground, cross-legged in front of him.

“Well, yeah. My tail marks me as a part of the Royal Family. But…well, it’s also my weakest point. That’s why we don’t really show it. It’s supposed to only be out around people you really trust. Or if you’re really cocky and don’t think anyone can take you down. But it’s so haaaaard to hide it,” Rin’s voice devolved into a whine and his shoulders slumped. “Like, the more mad I get, the more excited I get…I hate having to hide it so much.”

“…oh. So all of your brothers have tails too?”

Rin shook his head. “No. Yukio was born without one. He takes after our mother that way.”

“I see…”

“Ok! I answered yours! Now answer mine!! Ok?!” Rin perked up as suddenly as he had deflated. He grinned up at Ryuji, bright blue eyes shining, ears twitching, pretty much bouncing in his seat. Ryuji found he enjoyed the excitement in Rin’s eyes.

“Uh…sure.”

Rin’s grin broadened. “Ok! How did you find us?” Ryuji blinked at the simplicity and abruptness of the question.

“Um…with the journal…hang on.” Ryuji reached under his shirt and pulled the book out. “This one.” Rin’s eyes gained a sparkle. He reached for it and Ryuji instinctively pulled back. Rin stopped and dropped his arm.

“Oh, uh…sorry,” he apologized, looking away.

“N-no, it’s ok…I just am used to protecting it, I guess,” Ryuji replied awkwardly. Rin nodded, still not looking at him. Ryuji swallowed. “Uh…so…back at the kitchen…” Rin glanced up at him now. “You mentioned not remembering the…Fall of Atlantis…and like, you’re thousands of years old? What’s up with that?” Rin’s ears flattened back slightly at the mention of the Fall. _Sort of like a cat,_ Ryuji mused to himself.

“Well,” Rin chewed on his lips for a moment before continuing, “I sort of remember. But not really. I was really young, Yukio and I both were barely walking. My brothers were older and I remember Mephisto going with father. And something…like…a bright light up above us. It was so bright it washed everything out. I couldn’t see. And I remember someone blocking me from it, and someone was screaming. I don’t know what else happened. But I lost two family members that day; my mother, and my oldest brother.”

“I’m sorry,” Ryuji murmured. Rin was looking down now, wiggling his toes against the dirt. “Did you ever find out what happened to them?” Rin shrugged. His ears drooped slightly.

“My brother was off-island when things started. I guess he must have died on his way back to us. The ocean was angry that day.” Rin paused and stared intently at his toes. He was so wrapped up in his emotions he must not have realized his tail had slipped out from under his clothes. Ryuji watched as it flipped side to side slowly. “My mother…I don’t know what happened. No one ever talks about it.” He looked up at Ryuji, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “We didn’t even get to see her body and honour her. There were so many we didn’t get to honour.”

“I’m really sorry Rin.” Ryuji lowered himself off the rock so he was level with Rin on the ground. The corners of Rin’s mouth twitched in a weak attempt of a smile, but it didn’t stay. He cleared his throat.

“So, uh, my turn, right?”

Ryuji nodded. “Yeah.”

“Can I see your book? I just want to look at it,” Rin asked.

Ryuji nodded. “Y-yeah. Here.” He fought down the urges that made him so protective over the book and thrust it at Rin. The prince caught it with eager hands and opened it to look through.

“So…you can read this?” His voice sounded excited now. Ryuji grinned and leaned back against the rock slightly now.

“Yup. Just the same as you, or anyone else who lives here,” he announced. Then he caught sight of Rin frowning over the book, lips moving, but no trace of understanding. “…you can’t read it?” Rin looked up and shook his head.

“None of us can.”

***

“I won’t ask you again.” Yukio glared at the man in front of him. Tall, blond, with a smile that made his insides feel slimy. “How did you people find us, _Captain Lucifer_?” His hand tightened on the spear at his side.

Lucifer’s smile widened slightly. “You really followed me out this far just to ask me that?” Yukio tensed. If he had a tail, he was certain it would be flicking like Rin’s always did.

“Answer. The. Question.” His voice was a low growl now. Lucifer didn’t even blink. Yukio felt his irritation grow at the lack of reaction from the captain. Lucifer tilted his head back, eyes turned upward to the darkness above the light of the island and let out a chuckle. He shook his head. Yukio narrowed his eyes and readied himself for combat.

“A journal.”

“What?” Yukio’s posture relaxed, completely caught off-guard.

“You had another brother.” Yukio’s heart picked up pace.

“How…”

“He was off the island when The Fall happened. He survived away from all of this. He recorded everything he remembered, about the island, where it was, where it went, his own connection to it and the source of the blue flames. He tried to find it once, allegedly, and made it pretty far. But, for some reason, he turned back to the surface. And he aged. He met a woman. Had two children. They grew up and had their own children. Two branches off of the Royal family. They took different surnames of course, after a falling out. The Light Family. And the Fujimoto Family.” Lucifer lowered his gaze back to Yukio. “My name is Lucifer Light. Pleased to meet you, Uncle.”

Yukio dropped his weapon.


	7. Bringing Secrets to Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji and Rin grow closer.
> 
> Lucifer is finally ready to make his move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! I've been working on this one for a while. I am so excited to finally post this chapter!!!

Rin hummed to himself as he packed some snacks into a little satchel for himself and Ryuji. Ryuji had to go and help the other explorers in the morning with their supplies, so the two of them couldn’t meet up until the afternoon. Since discovering Ryuji could read their language, Rin spent the past two days asking question after question, which eventually led to Ryuji just reading to him out of the strange book he carried. They were nearly finished, and Rin was anxious to get through it. Ryuji and his crew were leaving tomorrow.

“Prince Rin?” A soft, familiar voice called out to him from the entrance to the kitchen. Rin looked up and smiled.

“Shiemi. How many times do I gotta say it? You can just call me Rin. After all that we’ve been through…” he trailed off, but his smile remained. The blonde healer shook her head.

“It’s because of that, that I shouldn’t be informal to you, Prince Rin,” she replied gently. “It wouldn’t do for someone you used to court to be overly familiar with you.” Rin’s ears drooped slightly and his smile faded. He looked away and swallowed.

“Y-yeah,” he mumbled. He ran his free hand through his hair, the other one tightened it’s grip on the satchel. “So, uh, did you need something?” he asked as casually as he could, looking back up with a smile. Sheimi pursed her lips.

“No-not so much that I need something. But I wanted to ask you something, Prince Rin,” she replied. Rin raised an eyebrow and nodded for her to continue. “Have you noticed, these past few days, Prince Yukio has been really distant?” Rin tensed.

“Yukio, huh?” he murmured. He sighed and placed his satchel on the countertop. He was turned away from Shiemi now, drumming his fingers on the counter. “You know, that’s why we used to fight so much, you and I. You always, always, bring him up. You were more concerned over him than me. I used to get so jealous.”

“I know,” Shiemi whispered, but she didn’t sound ashamed, just sad. “I couldn’t help it. I love the both of you very much. But you…you’re so open. I always knew what was going on in your mind. With Yukio, you’re the only one who really understands him. So of course, I always asked you.”

Rin’s mouth turned upward in a half smile, but he stayed where he was, unable to turn and face her. “Yeah. Even knowing that, it took a long time before I could even handle talking about him with you again.”

“I’m sorry, Prince Rin.” The formality of his title made his tail bristle under his clothes and his ears twitched. But he didn’t comment on it again. Shiemi paused before continuing, “You know I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t really concerned.”

Rin sighed and nodded. “I know.” He stretched his neck, tilting his head from side to side, and ran a hand through his hair. When he finally turned to face Shiemi, he wasn’t surprised to see her green eyes shining with unshed tears. She really had a big heart. “To be honest, even I’m not sure what’s going on in his head lately. Last night, and the night before, he hasn’t really spoken to me. And I don’t see him during the day, though honestly that’s…well…it’s because…I…” Rin stammered over his words, trying to come up with a logical reason that wouldn’t give away where he really went. As it turned out, he didn’t need to.

“It’s because you’ve been running around with that outsider, the one with all the piercings,” Shiemi supplied. Rin blinked. Shiemi smiled at him, a gentle warm smile. The kind of smile that said _don’t_ _worry, I accept every part of you._ The smile that made him fall for her to begin with. He couldn’t help the small pang in his heart when he saw that smile, though it was much smaller than it had been years ago. “Prince Amaimon told me, when I asked him where you were. It took me a while to get him to tell me though. I had to pester him all day yesterday,” she explained. Rin smirked a little, imagining Shiemi clinging to Amaimon for a day and annoying him into answering her like she used to when they were kids. But then he frowned.

“Wait. Amaimon? He knows?”

Shiemi giggled. “Rin, you should know as much as I do that he and Prince Mephisto always keep track of you. You worry them a lot.”

Rin groaned and raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Is nothing sacred anymore?” he whined. Shiemi only laughed more.

“You say that, but it’s really sweet that they care so much,” she replied. Rin sighed again and shook his head, gaze back on Shiemi. She was leaning against the entryway, her blue and red robes ending just above the floor to reveal her feet in their sandals.

“Did you mention Yukio to them as well?” Rin asked. Shiemi nodded.

“I did. Prince Amaimon didn’t say anything. Neither did Prince Mephisto, but he looked…concerned, I suppose is what it was.” Shiemi played with the lining of her sleeves, which were too long. They were always too long. Shiemi chewed her bottom lip and looked down. “I don’t know what to do.” Rin sighed and picked up his satchel again.

“Don’t worry about doing anything. I’ll take care of it when I see him tonight. We’ll have a good talk and sort things out, you’ll see,” he reassured her. He patted her shoulder as he walked past her. Shiemi looked up at him with a watery smile.

“Thank you, Prince Rin,” she whispered. Rin grinned back and nodded before leaving.

“I’ll see you later, Shiemi.”

***

Ryuji grunted as he heaved another box of food into the back of one of the few trucks that had survived their journey. He turned to see how many were left and was surprised to see they had loaded all of them now. _I guess it really won’t be long now. We’re really leaving tomorrow._ As soon as the thoughts entered his mind, Ryuji felt a small stab of bitterness. He frowned, puzzled over what he was feeling.

“Bon! We’re all finished,” Renzo announced, slinging an arm around his friend. Ryuji rolled his eyes.

“I can see that. I’m not blind,” he retorted. Renzo laughed.

“Awww, come on. Don’t be so prickly. It’s no wonder the girls don’t like you,” he jabbed with a lopsided grin.

“And what would _you_ know about what ‘the girls’ like and don’t like?” a cool voice interjected. Despite the jab, Renzo’s smile only brightened as he looked at the owner of the voice.

“Izumo!” he released Ryuji immediately and strode over to her. “Hey, hey! It’s our last day on the island here. How about we spend it on a romantic outing, sightseeing and such?” Izumo gave Renzo an unimpressed look. She turned and walked away without answering. Renzo jogged to catch up to her and fell into pace at her side. “Is that a yes?” Izumo sighed.

Ryuji barely heard her say “do what you want, I’m going this way,” before she and Renzo were both out of ear shot.

“It seems her level of tolerance for him has gone up,” Konekomaru observed, sidling up to stand next to Ryuji. Ryuji pursed his lips.

“I guess. So long as he doesn’t get over-confident,” he replied, arms crossed over his broad chest. Konekomaru hummed and adjusted his glasses.

“I don’t think she’d let him. Izumo isn’t the kind of woman who takes any pushy crap.”

“Yeah. To be honest, I’m surprised she’s let him hang around her this much,” Ryuji agreed. “She doesn’t seem the type to like his over-the-top gestures and romantic ideas.”

“I think you’re only partially right, there. I’m fairly certain Izumo doesn’t like grand gestures, as you said,” Konekomaru mused, “but I did see Renzo give her a flower from the island yesterday.”

Ryuji frowned. “And?”

“And she had it in her hair when she woke up this morning.”

Ryuji blinked and glanced down at his friend. “Really?” Konekomaru nodded.

“Unfortunately, I may have embarrassed her about it when I pointed it out, because she immediately took it out and tossed it away,” he admitted with a sheepish look on his face. “But my point is, even if she seems tough and independent, Izumo is still a person. I’m sure she still wants someone to care about her.”

Ryuji sighed and uncrossed his arms. An image came to mind, of blue eyes and dark hair and a large smile. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah…I see your point.” At that moment, the leaves of a nearby tree rustled. Ryuji glanced over, a smile creeping onto his face as he saw a familiar pair of blue eyes watching him. The minute his eyes met Rin’s, Rin smiled back. Ryuji ignored the light fluttery feeling he felt in his chest. He glanced down at Konekomaru, who appeared not to have noticed. “Uh…well…I um, have some stuff I have to go do,” he stammered out quickly, before turning to leave. “I’ll, uh, see you later.”

A hand on his wrist stopped him. “Bon.” Ryuji tensed. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at his fried. Konekomaru continued to gaze ahead, toward where Renzo and Izumi disappeared. “Whatever you and that Prince are doing…be careful. I have a bad feeling.” Ryuji bit the inside of his cheek. _Of course Konekomaru figured it out,_ he thought to himself.

“We will be,” he answered quietly. Konekomaru nodded and released his grip on Ryuji’s arm.

“I’ll see you later, Bon,” Konekomaru stated, as if he hadn’t just issued a warning to his friend. Ryuji nodded and turned back toward Rin. He walked into the cover of the trees, not daring to look up until he was hidden from view. Just because his friend knew he was meeting one of the Princes, didn’t mean he wanted the entire island knowing. Especially if it could get Rin in trouble.

Ryuji waited for Rin to climb down. The prince lowered himself nimbly and was standing next to him not a moment later. “Hi Ryuji!” he greeted with a bright smile. Ryuji couldn’t help the smile that grew on his own face. _This guy is so positive…it’s contagious,_ he thought.

“Hi Rin,” he answered him. The prince continued to grin and started forward, leading the way to what Ryuji now fondly thought of as _their_ spot. They reached the are in no time, and soon Ryuji was settling himself on the ground, Rin next to him. The water reflected the darkness above the island, as well as the gentle light of a few nearby torches. The blue light cast a gentle glow over everything around them. Ryuji and Rin were settled beneath one of the bright torches, so that Ryuji could read to him from the journal he carried. Rin pulled a bag off his shoulder and set it down.

“I brought snacks to share! It’s your last day here, so I thought you should try some of my favourites,” he announced. Ryuji smiled, even though he felt that small pang again at the mention of it being his last day on the island. He frantically shoved that feeling away.

“That sounds great,” he replied. He flashed Rin a brief smile, before turning to his book and pretending to focus on finding where they left off. There was a sudden warm weight pressed against his back, and he felt hair tickle his cheek as Rin rested his chin on Ryuji’s shoulder. Ryuji froze, cheeks heating up. This wasn’t the first time Rin had seemed to not know what the term ‘personal space’ meant, but this was by far the most body contact they’d ever had.

“Hmmmm,” Rin hummed, and Ryuji couldn’t help the way his heart hammered in his chest at the sound of his low voice so close to Ryuji’s ear. “I think we were talking about energy and stuff last time…”

Ryuji cleared his throat and flipped through the pages of the journal hastily. “Uhhh, right.”

“Oh! That one! I recognize the picture from last time,” Rin exclaimed and pointed at a page. Ryuji stopped flipping and scanned the page.

“Right, right,” Ryuji mumbled. He shifted forward slightly, still keenly aware of Rin’s presence next to him. “Ok…so I had read this entire page…” he looked at the next one. “This next part is about Atlanteans who were off-island during The Fall.”

“What? No. That’s wrong,” Rin protested, pulling back a bit. Ryuji internally mourned the loss of body contact. He took a moment to collect himself and scold himself internally for focusing on something so trivial before turning to face Rin.

“I promise you, that’s right,” he answered. Rin shook his head with a frown.

“No, we were talking about an energy source and power and stuff! But we never finished talking about it,” he stated firmly. He crossed his arms, bright blue eyes daring Ryuji to contradict him. Ryuji sighed.

“Yeah…that’s the way the book goes. I don’t get it either. To be honest, it’s like there’s a missing page or something,” he muttered. At that, Rin’s ears perked up and he tilted his head.

“A missing page?” he echoed. He looked over Ryuji’s shoulder at the book again. “So, you think there could be more information about the energy source?” Ryuji nodded.

“Yeah, probably.” He paused. “But shouldn’t you know about it? I mean, with this being your own culture and all, surely you know your own history?” It wasn’t the first time Ryuji had mentioned this, and, as he had every other time, Rin looked away, his pointed ears drooping slightly. It made Ryuji slightly regret the question, but he was genuinely curious. Rin had yet to truly answer.

The prince sighed. “I…no one really knows it. I always thought I didn’t remember as well as others because I was so young when everything happened. I know a little of what life was like before…but I can’t remember the specific event. But then, when I would ask others, they all seemed to have vague memories of it as well.” Rin picked at his robes, pulling a stray thread off them and rolling it between his fingers. “And then, when it comes to actual history, none of the older citizens like to talk about it. Even if you ask, even if you beg…it’s almost like there’s a gap? Like, they should know, but they don’t, so they don’t like to talk about it. I brought it up to my father once.” Rin let the thread fall to the ground and looked up, gaze scanning the water. Ryuji watched him, eyes tracing his face. The look of longing in Rin’s eyes made his soul ache. “He refused to talk about it.” Frustration entered Rin’s tone. “Our people are _dying_. Our culture is _non-existent_. And he’s content to just _sit there_ on his throne and _ignore_ it all?!”

Ryuji pursed his lips. “That…doesn’t sound right…I can’t think of why he’d do that. But he must have a reason, right?”

“I don’t know.” Rin shook his head. “I just…if he _does_ have a reason, I wish he’d tell me and my brothers what it is.” Ryuji sighed.

“Yeah, I hear you on that. I hate when people keep stuff like that from me, too. Like, if they could tell me the purpose of what they want me to do, tell me why, it would make me way more likely to actually do it, you know?”

Rin nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Exactly,” he exclaimed, intense blue eyes focused on Ryuji now. “I want him to trust me enough to tell me why! Because…maybe if I knew, then I could help. I don’t want our people to suffer and struggle.” Rin glanced at the journal now, his expression morphing to one of disappointment. “That’s why I was hoping your book would be able to tell us more…” Ryuji pursed his lips and looked down at the journal as well.

“I’m sorry,” was all he could think to say.

Rin shook his head. “No, it’s not your fault. You said you were given this by someone, right? It could have happened anytime before you got it. There’s no telling what happened to that page.” Ryuji nodded. He set the journal to the side and stretched his arms over his head, uncomfortable with the sombre aura around them.

“You know, maybe that’ll change now,” he mused, in an effort to change the conversation. Rin looked up and tilted his head.

“How do you think?” he asked, his ears perked up. Ryuji lowered his arms and shrugged.

“I mean, you guys have had contact with the upper world now, after thousands of years without it. That’s bound to change some things. You can’t expect that everyone will be satisfied going back to the way things were. And when word gets out about the expedition, you’re likely to have more people trying to come down here,” he replied casually. Rin wrinkled his nose as he mulled over Ryuji’s words.

“Father won’t like that…” he mumbled finally. Ryuji shrugged again.

“I mean, it doesn’t matter if he does or doesn’t. He can’t possibly control _everyone_.”

Rin nodded slowly. “Yeah…I guess you’re right.” He gave Ryuji a small smile, and the hope in that smile made Ryuji’s heart jump up to his throat.

Ryuji coughed a little and looked away, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit. “Uh. So. Are…are you hungry? Because I am…and uh. I’d really like to try those snacks you brought.”

“Oh! Yeah! I’m so excited to share them with you, these are some of my favourites,” Rin exclaimed. He reached into his little bag and pulled out some small bundles wrapped in thin protective coverings. “These ones are great!” He opened the wrapping to reveal little slices of bread that looked to have fruits of some kind in them. He offered one to Ryuji, who took it carefully.

Ryuji took a small bite, and his eyes widened. The bread was soft and moist, and the pieces of fruit added a delicious sweetness to it. He swallowed hastily. “This is really good!” he exclaimed. Rin smiled, a little bashfully, and looked down, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Ahaha, I’m glad,” he admitted. “I worked hard on it.” Ryuji paused before taking another bite.

“You made this? Wow! You really are good at cooking and baking,” he declared. Rin looked really pleased as he returned Ryuji’s smile.

“Yeah! I love to do that stuff,” he agreed. He paused, then added shyly, “and I really wanted to make it for you. Because you’re leaving tomorrow.” Ryuji’s chewing slowed as Rin’s words registered in his brain. Suddenly, the bread didn’t taste quite as sweet. He swallowed it and licked his lips, thinking.

“…you could come with me…” The words left his mouth before he could stop them, barely above a whisper, but he knew Rin heard them. A tension filled the air, as if the entire island was waiting to hear Rin’s answer. Ryuji stared at the other man. Rin’s forehead was crinkled, his eyes distant as he worried his lower lip between his teeth. Ryuji could almost see the wheels turning in his mind, weighing the pros and cons of staying or going. And, maybe it was a selfish part of him, but he couldn’t stop himself from trying to weigh the options in his favour. “It’s different up there. Maybe, you could find something that would help your people down here. Maybe you could bring them something good from the surface.” Rin nodded slowly after Ryuji spoke, eyes still distant.

“…maybe…” he murmured softly. Ryuji felt his heart stutter at the possibility, the _chance_ , that Rin could be joining him on the way back to the surface. Rin brought himself back to the present with a slight head shake. “Um. What was it like? Coming down here?”

Ryuji blinked. The question was innocent enough, but despite all their talk about the journal and its contents, they hadn’t actually discussed his journey to Atlantis in great detail. “Well…it was long. A lot of it was underwater, so some parts were a little more boring for me because I didn’t have much to do with that…” Rin relaxed next to him and listened to him talk about the submarine and his friends, and everything they went through. He skimmed the part involving Behemoth, deciding it was better not to linger too long on that subject.

At some point, Ryuji realized Rin was leaning against him, head on his shoulder. Rin also seemed to have lost some of the self-consciousness regarding his tail. It had slipped out from under his clothes and was flicking lazily in the sand, much like that of a cat. Ryuji felt a strange sense of pride in being able to be around Rin this way. It felt intimate, as if they knew each other far longer than the three days they’d spent together. He didn’t realize he’d stopped talking until Rin turned his gaze upward to him.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “Why’d you stop?” Ryuji felt his face redden.

“Uh, no…I just…um. Y-your tail,” he trailed off, looking down at it. Now it was Rin’s turn to blush.

“Oh!” he quickly hid his tail under his clothes and straightened himself off of Ryuji. “I…sorry. About that.”

Ryuji shook his head. “N-no, no! It’s fine! It didn’t bother me. Um. I kind of like it,” he stammered, knowing his face was completely red now. Rin looked up abruptly with wide eyes. A pretty blush covered his cheeks and Ryuji swallowed nervously.

“You…like it?” Rin echoed in a whisper. As if to test Ryuji’s words, his tail slipped out from under his clothes again. Ryuji nodded. Rin’s ears twitched and he looked down in an attempt to hide his blush. Ryuji swallowed again and looked away.

“Um. Is that a bad thing to say?” he asked finally. Rin shifted next to him, still looking down.

“It’s…well. Most times when people comment on your tail…because you’re really supposed to keep it hidden and stuff…it’s like…really close people? Who are the ones who get to see it…” Rin fidgeted a lot as he spoke. “Like…uh…family. And partners.”

“…partners?” Ryuji dared to look at Rin again. Rin’s face reddened more and his ears twitched again.

“…romantic partners…”

Ryuji’s brain screeched to a stop. A nervous fluttery feeling rose up in his chest. His palms felt clammy and his mouth went dry. He opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. “So that’s why Ukobach got so mad.” Ryuji internally kicked himself. Why did that have to be the first thing he said.

But Rin laughed a little, and the tension eased. “Um, yeah…he’s a bit protective.” Ryuji smirked.

“A bit?”

Rin laughed more. “Ok, ok. A lot.” Ryuji laughed along with him.

As their laughter died down, Ryuji couldn’t help but watch Rin’s face. The blue flames had dimmed since they started talking, indicating it was now closer to night. In the dimmed light, Ryuji felt a bit braver. He reached out and brushed Rin’s hair out of the way of his eyes. The prince blinked and froze. Ryuji pulled back a little and looked into Rin’s blue eyes. In the shadows, they looked darker, more intense. There was a push, one that Ryuji might not have been as courageous without. He would be leaving tomorrow. It was dark. There was only the two of them. And he finally realized what that bitter feeling was. _I don’t want to leave with any regrets,_ Ryuji realized.

Ryuji wet his lips with his tongue. Then he spoke, his voice just above a whisper. “Can I kiss you?” Rin’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He closed it, swallowed, and tried again.

“Y-yes,” his voice was barely audible, but Ryuji heard. And he was the only one who needed to. Slowly, he leaned forward, his hand moved to gently brush against Rin’s cheek. Rin leaned against his touch, eyes slowly flitting closed, lips barely parted. Ryuji’s heart hammered in his chest. He swallowed one more time, before leaning forward and gently pressing his lips on Rin’s. His eyes closed and he just focused on the feeling of Rin.

The kiss was soft and gentle and warm. It was only a few seconds, their lips just pressed together, but it felt like an eternity to Ryuji. When he pulled back, his eyes opened slowly, and he saw Rin do the same. Rin’s cheeks turned even redder, and he ducked his head down a little.

“W-was it ok?” he asked, tail twisting in the sand and ears flicking nervously. Ryuji reached forward and tilted Rin’s chin up so he was looking at him again.

“It was amazing,” he murmured. Rin smiled and leaned against him, burying his face in Ryuji’s chest, clinging to him. Ryuji wrapped his arms around him.

They sat like that for a long time, enjoying the feeling of each other as they watched the water wordlessly. The light around them dimmed even more, but neither of them moved. Not until Ryuji gave a small shiver from the cold did they break apart. Even then, Rin held onto his hand as they stood.

“…I don’t want you to leave,” he stated finally. Ryuji bit his lip and gazed at Rin for a moment.

“You could come with me,” he reminded him gently. Rin held his hand still, eyes on the ground.

“Father would hate that,” he whispered.

Ryuji nodded. “He would.” Rin looked up at him then, a determined glint in his eyes.

“I’m going to do it anyway,” he stated, his tail flicking behind him. Ryuji grinned.

“Going to do what, Big brother?” a cold voice called. Ryuji started and spun around. Rin froze, his hand tense in Ryuji’s. Rin’s younger brother, Prince Yukio, stood there. And behind him was…

“Captain Lucifer?” Ryuji felt a trickle of fear run down his spine. _Something’s wrong here._

“Y-Yukio,” Rin greeted his brother. “Ahaha, how long have you been there?” Yukio raised an eyebrow, eyes sliding over the two of them from head to toe.

“I just got here,” he answered calmly. “What have you been _doing,_ Rin?” His eyes were now firmly fixed on Rin’s hand in Ryuji’s. Rin snatched his hand back, and Ryuji felt a jolt of sadness at how quickly he let go.

“I-I-I…” Rin stammered. Yukio didn’t let him finish.

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’m not here to talk to you,” he cut in. The feeling of dread returned to Ryuji and settled in his stomach, like a hard lump of cement. Yukio’s eyes landed on him. Behind Yukio, Lucifer smiled.

“Mr. Ryuji Suguro,” he called in a pleasant tone. “Prince Yukio and I require your assistance.”

“Regarding what?” Ryuji asked cautiously. Lucifer reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. He strode forward and held it out in front of Ryuji.

“Regarding this,” he stated calmly. Yukio also approached now, more alert, looking as if he could break into a run, or attack, at any moment. Ryuji squinted at the paper for a moment, eyes struggling to see it in the dim light.

And then he realized what it was. And his heart dropped.

“That’s…that’s…” he couldn’t even bring himself to fully form a sentence.

“The missing page to your journal, yes.” Lucifer continued speaking pleasantly, as if they were talking about any old book, and not the only copy of the route to a lost island. The page itself was worn and looked like it had been folded and unfolded many times. In the centre, it had the image of a large, vibrant, blue flame. “I need you to translate it please.” Ryuji felt Rin creep closer to him, peering at the paper. He saw an excited twitch of his tail at Lucifer’s words. But that didn’t stop the dread he was feeling.

“…why do you need me to do that?” Ryuji asked slowly. “We’re already here, in Atlantis. And we leave tomorrow. What could you _possibly_ gain from this?”

Lucifer raised his eyebrows. “And here I thought you were a scholar. Shouldn’t you relish in the opportunity to gain new knowledge?”

Ryuji narrowed his eyes. “That’s pretty manipulative of you, _captain._ ” He glanced between Prince Yukio and Lucifer. “Tell me why you need to know.”

“That’s none of your business,” Yukio hissed, but Lucifer put a hand on his shoulder. He shook his head once and Yukio frowned, but backed off. Lucifer turned to Ryuji, his smile gone now.

“Just translate the page, Suguro,” he ordered coldly. Ryuji clenched his jaw. All his instincts screamed at him to run, to grab Rin’s hand and get as far away as possible. Lucifer sighed. “I really didn’t want to have to do this, you know.” He snapped his fingers.

Next to Ryuji, Rin yelped. Ryuji started and turned to him with wide eyes to see the prince being held with a knife at his throat…by Todo. Eyes wide, Ryuji swung his gaze back to Yukio. The youngest prince made no movement, only stared coldly at his brother as he struggled against Todo.

“Translate the page.” Lucifer’s voice was stern. It was an order. “Don’t make me say it again.” Ryuji swallowed and glanced back at Rin. Even though he struggled against Todo, he wasn’t making any headway. With a trembling hand, Ryuji reached out and took the paper from Lucifer. He brought it closer to his face, squinting in the dim light. He scanned his eyes over the page, trying his best to read and understand it as quickly as possible. “Well?” Lucifer interrupted, his tone sharp and impatient. Ryuji winced, but responded.

“It’s talking about…the energy source. A flame. The one mentioned in the journal. It’s…here. Somewhere,” he muttered. Then he looked up and glared at Lucifer. “Let him go.” Lucifer raised his eyebrows.

“I don’t think you’re in the position to be giving orders,” he answered. His eyes flicked to Todo and he gave the freckled man a curt nod. Ryuji opened his mouth to protest, but he was cut off by a yelp. His eyes widened in horror as he watched Todo’s knife carve a thin line into Rin’s chest.

“St-Stop!” he shouted. “Fuck! Just. Stop. I’ll…I’ll translate it all. I’ll do whatever you want, just stop hurting him.” Lucifer seemed to ponder this for a moment, and Rin whimpered as the knife continued to draw blood.

“Saburoto.” Todo paused and looked up at Lucifer, expectant. Lucifer smirked. “That’s enough. For now.” He turned his cold and unyielding gaze to Ryuji again. “Now, let’s keep going. Tell me where the energy source is.” Ryuji swallowed. His hands shook, making the page crinkle slightly in his grip.

“Um…It doesn’t specify the location,” he began. Lucifer gave a sigh.

“Suguro…”

“W-wait! I…the passage doesn’t specify a location. But it does tell who would know where it is,” Ryuji cut in frantically.

“And? Who might that be?” Lucifer prompted. Ryuji glanced at Rin. The prince’s eyes were wide, frightened. Blood trickled down from his wound, soaking into the torn fabric surrounding it. His tail twitched frantically, and his limbs shook. He knew Rin knew the answer. He knew the prince had to have guessed it by now. There was only one person it could be, after all. And he could almost hear Rin crying, begging him not to say it. His eyes pleaded with Ryuji to lie, to stop, to refuse to answer. But Ryuji couldn’t stop himself now. The pain of Rin’s previous cries echoed in his ears, and his gut told him that was nothing compared to what would happen if he backed out now.

Not breaking eye contact with Rin, Ryuji answered. “The King.” Rin’s lips trembled and he shut his eyes, a single tear sliding down one of his cheeks.

Lucifer grinned, a feral, manic grin. “Let’s go see the king, then,” he hissed.

***

The walk back was silent. Ryuji didn’t think it could be anymore unnerving, with Rin being marched next to him, Todo’s knife still held at his throat, but he was wrong. The closer they got to the centre of the island, the larger their little group became. One by one, crew members, all wearing masks that hid their features, fell into place behind Lucifer, effectively surrounding Ryuji and Rin.

_Was everyone who survived the submarine incident a…a traitor?_ Ryuji caught himself wondering. He cursed himself for being so stupid as to blindly trust people who were really no closer to him than any stranger he might meet on the street.

In the midst of his misery, two faces came to mind. A lopsided grin and pink hair. A shy smile and large framed glasses. _Renzo and Konekomaru. They wouldn’t be with these guys. I can count on them._ But as soon as the thought rose in his mind, it was shattered by the realization that even with those two on his side, they would still be grossly outnumbered and outgunned. Every crew member surrounding him and Rin right now had at least one weapon on them, and most of them were actively holding guns. 

As they marched to the centre of the island, Ryuji noticed heads poking out of the increasing number of houses. But no one dared to come out. Not with a small army of surface dwellers, with their prince being held hostage in the middle of them all.

It was as they passed through a more open area, with a bunch of stores and a variety of outdoor stalls, that Ryuji caught sight of his two friends, along with Izumo and Shura. Renzo looked very confused and opened his mouth to speak. Ryuji shook his head slightly, just enough to be perceptible. Shura slammed a hand over Renzo’s mouth and grabbed Konekomaru’s arm, yanking them a few paces back. Izumo followed her wordlessly, but her eyes were fixed on Ryuji.

They strode forward, up the steps to the home of the King. Lucifer didn’t even hesitate. He shoved aside curtains and marched his way in, not even pausing before entering the King’s council room. The King was on his raised seat, midway through a conversation with the other two princes. He paused mid-sentence and turned his gaze to Lucifer and his entourage.

“What is the meaning of this?” the King hissed, his voice sounding like two old pages dragging across each other.

“I think you know, old man,” the captain replied with a smile, as easily as if he were complimenting the other’s home. The King glared at him and gripped the arms of his seat.

“Humour me,” he all but snarled. Lucifer’s grin broadened. And it happened, only for a split second, but Ryuji saw the King’s mask of anger slip to reveal the anxiety and fear of a man who knew the answer and prayed to whatever gods would listen that he was wrong.

“Tell me where The Flame is, _Your Highness_ ,” Lucifer ordered. The King’s eyes closed, but not before Ryuji saw terror flicker through them. Prince Amaimon stiffened and opened his mouth to speak, but Mephisto held out a hand to silence him. With a polite smile he stepped forward.

“And why would we tell you that?” he asked smoothly. His smile didn’t meet his eyes.

“Ahaha, don’t worry. I’ve spoken with the youngest prince, I’m not so stupid as to assume you would give it up for _him_ ,” Lucifer answered. Ryuji saw Yukio’s jaw clench out of the corner of his eye. Lucifer carried on, “But the second youngest, now _he’s_ everyone’s _favourite_ …” Ryuji swallowed nervously as Todo tightened his grip on Rin. He couldn’t help but wonder how strong Todo had to be to combat the prince’s strength.

“You will let my sons go,” the King ordered. Lucifer smirked.

“Will I?” He turned to Todo and nodded once. With a wicked grin, he pressed the knife against Rin’s neck. Rin stiffened, eyes wide and ears turned back slightly.

“Father…” Amaimon sounded like he wanted to say more, but the King waved him into silence.

“Let. My. Sons. Go.”

“Show me where The Flame is.” Lucifer stepped forward, and Todo followed suit, shuffling Rin in front of him. Ryuji swallowed nervously, eyes locked on the knife pointing at the prince’s throat. Rin’s ears twitched and his fingers trembled at his sides.

Mephisto stepped forward. “One would wonder,” he began lightly, as if there wasn’t a knife directed at his younger brother, “how an ordinary person is strong enough to detain my younger brother?”

The grin that split Todo’s face could only be described as feral. Ryuji felt his heart drop to his stomach, the way it does when a person knows something horrible is about to happen. Lucifer smirked. “You see. Todo and I, we come from an…ancient people,” he replied amiably. “The Light family has an interesting past.”

_Light?_ Ryuji blinked, feeling almost as if someone had ripped his soul out of his body and thrown him to the ceiling to watch an absurd scene. _Like…Lewin Light? Lightning?_

He didn’t get the chance to even open his mouth, not that he was sure what he would’ve said. Amaimon cut in. “I don’t care about your lineage. What ruler of any country would pass his secrets on to an outsider? And that’s assuming there is a ‘special’ flame to show you.” He narrowed his eyes at Lucifer and flexed his fingers, his long nails resembling the claws of a cornered beast. “So you should let Rin and Yukio go, before I kill you.”

Lucifer raised his eyebrows, smirk still in place. “Whatever do you mean? Uncle Yukio is here of his own free will.” Mephisto’s raised one eyebrow. Next to him, Amaimon frowned.

“What are you talking about ‘uncle’…” he snarled. Ryuji felt his head spinning. He looked up at the king. The King sat in his chair, hands gripping the armrests so hard his knuckles were white.

“It would seem our oldest brother didn’t perish,” Yukio stated calmly. “He survived. He even found us. But someone…” his eyes flicked up to the King, then back to his older brothers, “turned him away.”

Lucifer crossed his arms, the smirk finally slipping off his face, and sighed. “I am growing tired of this. I didn’t come for a dramatic family reunion. I came for The Flame. So, old man. Show me where it is.”

The King glared down at Lucifer. Lucifer turned his head slightly to Todo. Ryuji watched helplessly as fear flitted across the King’s face. He closed his eyes again.

“Enough.” The King stood. He was much taller than he appeared in the chair, and Ryuji had to fight the urge to step back. The King stepped off his raised platform and approached Lucifer, who watched him with an amused look. The King glared at him, but then his gaze turned to his second-youngest son. And his eyes held a pain Ryuji couldn’t begin to comprehend.

The King turned away from his son. He walked up to the table and slammed his palms down onto it. For a moment, nothing happened. Ryuji held his breath. His heart pounded so loudly in his chest he was sure everyone could hear it. All eyes were trained on the King.

Small lines of blue fire shot out from his palms in thin lines, spreading through the stone table in a spiderweb pattern. The flames flared bright, and spread down the table legs to the floor under it. And, as quickly as they appeared, the flames dissipated. The floor groaned and split along the lines the fire had left. The table split with it, and the King stepped back. The floor and table shifted and moved, lowering down, down, down, until a gaping hole remained in the middle of the floor, with thin pieces of stone clinging to the wall of the hole, creating narrow steps into the abyss.

Lucifer grinned. “Now that,” he stated smugly, “Is what I like to see.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought!! :)


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